Joanna
by chaoticmom
Summary: When McCoy gets a disturbing message on the two year anniversary of the destruction of Vulcan, it's up to Jim and the rest of the crew to help him protect the most precious thing he lost in the divorce, his daughter. Please R & R
1. Chapter 1

I know how annoying these can be but I am honor bound to say that only the main plot of this story is mine. The rest belongs to the creators, studios, actors, and everyone else applicable. I only own the minor characters that no one recognizes, unfortunately.

**NOTES :** So many people have inspired me in regards to this story, either by giving me a new way to look at the characters or happenings in, before and the possibilities of after the film that I've ended up with a better appreciation of them through their amazing writing or by answering my questions and giving me some great advice. So thank you to Rabid Angel, Jedi Buttercup, Volitan, SageK, Rogue Angel, Vulcan Wolf, and Christina TM. And especially to Mionejaina561 your story By Your Side was the story that got me thinking of this one, Bookdragon01 for letting me use Sam for Giotto's first name and Starquilter57 for the loan of Dr Angus McKenzie. A very special thank you to Royalpinkdogs for graciously Beta-ing this as well as advice. And to anyone I might have forgotten thank you as well, I definitely couldn't have written it without your insights. Also most of the 'legal' stuff is from growing up watching Perry Mason, Matlock, and a few other 'court' shows and what I remember from them and/or at least sounds plausible. If I'm way off base, please just chalk it up to the fact this is set a little over 200 years in the future and the laws will undoubtedly have changed a bit in that time, I'm definitely not a lawyer, or a doctor so the same goes for the medical stuff. Also I'm not trying to plagiarize anyone with any part of this, so if it's similar I'm very sorry but it wasn't intentional.

Chaoticmom.

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><p>He couldn't believe it!<p>

As McCoy stared at the comm. on his desk in disbelief, all the thoughts of how great this shore leave was going to be vanished, replaced by hurt and fury. The only other time he'd felt like this had been the weeks before he'd joined Starfleet. Now she was doing it again. And if he hadn't forgotten one of the presents for Joanna in his office he wouldn't have known about this till he was back on board and had no chance to fight it.

"Goddamnit!" McCoy yelled as he sent the nearest object on his desk, a carved stone paperweight, crashing into the wall, as well as a couple of PADDs, followed by a string of curses in several of the languages that he'd picked up over three years at the Academy and two on the Enterprise. As the tumbler on the desk shattered against the wall, the door slid open, making him look up.

"Bones, you read-. What happened?" demanded the younger man standing there looking around at the electronics and shards of glass on the floor and the wild look in his best friend's eyes.

Most folks would have backed off at the fury on the Doctor's face, but not Jim Kirk. They'd been through too much together over the last five years and even though they argued fiercely at times each knew the other had his back.

Jim slowly stepped into the office, looking around to see if he could find what had sent his friend and CMO off like this. Bones had been so eager for shore leave because even though it was the second anniversary of the Narada disaster he was going to get to go see his daughter afterward.

"Bones, c'mon talk to me. What happened?" Jim asked again, laying a hand on McCoy's shoulder.

All McCoy did was nod at the comm. Jim looked at Bones in bewilderment as he reached for the replay button.

"Kirk, the shuttle's gonna leave without us and it's the last one."Lt Nyota Uhura said as she stopped in the door way. The communications officer was looking slightly annoyed while Spock looked over her shoulder, eyebrow raised, at the state of the usually neat office.

"Len, what's wrong?" Uhura asked concerned as she saw the look on McCoy's face and the mess, for she'd seen him mad before but nothing like this.

"I was just going to find out. It's something on the comm." Jim said as he pushed the replay button, it was an audio only message.

"_Leonard, this is to inform you that as of June 20__th__ your parental rights are bein' terminated, however I have over looked that fact since your leave ended on the 22__nd__. I am gettin' married the last weekend in June and Victor will adopt her then. Joanna has no need for a father in Starfleet who's never around and never calls. Furthermore if you decide to somehow fight this I will make sure that you receive a dishonorable discharge from Starfleet. Goodbye I hope y'all had a good last visit." _

The voice was that of a woman, heavy with malice and a syrupy southern accent that held none of the warmth of their friend's.

"June 20th? We're scheduled to leave for New Vulcan on July 2nd. Who is that Len?" Uhura asked, laying a hand on his other shoulder.

McCoy took a deep breath and sank into his chair. "That is the damn reason I'm up here with y'all. My _lovely_ ex-wife, she managed to get everythin' in the divorce, and make sure as hell I was blackballed from practicin' medicine. That was her Daddy's doin', most likely. Since no hospital or clinic would take me Starfleet was the only place left that I had." He responded bitterly, his drawl more pronounced than usual, sounding more like the man that she remembered on the shuttle five years ago being dragged out of the bathroom, than the gruff but kind-hearted man she'd known the last two.

"The bitch somehow convinced the judge that everythin' was my fault not hers, even though I was the one that caught her cheatin'. Like I told Jim when we met she got the whole damn planet includin' everythin' that I inherited from my parents. All I managed to get were quarterly reports on Joanna and a once a month call. And every time I've called on this last mission she says she's not there. Bullshit!"

"How old is Joanna now?" Uhura asked, squeezing his shoulder in support.

"She'll be 11 in October. This has gotta be a nightmare for her." He sighed leaning forward to rest his head in his hands.

"Nyota, I believe I understand the situation, but I am uncertain about some of the terms both the Doctor and his former spouse are using." Spock murmured to her a moment later.

Uhura quickly and quietly outlined the situation, watching the emotions play across Spock's expressive eyes even though very little of it showed on his face.

"Captain, would it not be wise to alert Admiral Pike to these events immediately?" He inquired turning to Jim.

"Let's get things taken care of here first, Spock. Uhura can you make a copy of the message as well as the comm. logs?"Jim asked.

"You know I can. I can copy the message from here but I'll need to get the logs from the bridge. It should take me less than ten minutes." Uhura said already placing a data chip in the comm.

"Bones, do you have a copy of your divorce decree? We'll probably need them, and whatever else you have." Jim told him.

"They're in the lockbox in my quarters, here." Bones said, his head still bowed. "They're on a PADD marked 'Divorce'."

"Go get them Bones. Can I use your comm.? Spock, make sure that the shuttle doesn't leave without us."Jim said rapidly trying to think of anything else they might need.

"Sure Jim." Bones sounded almost tired as he headed for the door behind Uhura and Spock.

"Don't worry we'll get this mess sorted out, I promise." Jim assured him as he keyed in the number for the Admiral.

A couple of minutes later the slightly puzzled face of Admiral Pike appeared on the screen. _"What can I do for you Kirk that couldn't wait till you got down here?"_ he asked calmly taking in the worried expression on the younger man's face.

"Sir we have a slight problem. Bones just got a message from his ex-wife saying that two days before we get back from leave his parental rights will be terminated but that his ex will over look it because this _was _his last visit with his daughter. Seems his ex is getting married in June and the guy is gonna adopt the girl." Jim explained.

"_What do you mean was his last visit? Shore leave isn't for another week." _Pike asked puzzled.

"That's the thing Admiral, I'm pretty sure that Bones wasn't supposed to get it till we got back here after leave. The only reason he got it today was he happened to forget one of his daughter's presents in his office. She also threatened that he'd get dishonorably discharged from Starfleet if he tried to stop her." Jim reported, his irritation with the situation starting to show

"_What? There's no way that one woman could force Starfleet to do that. Especially not to him, and not without a hell of a serious charge, as well as a lot of proof to back her claim up." _Pike demanded.

"Actually Sir, I think she's done this sort of thing before. From what I've been told by Bones she literally stripped him of everything in the divorce; and managed to somehow blackball him from civilian medicine." Jim finished anger hardening his voice at what had happened to the man that had become both one of his best friends and an older brother.

Admiral Pike's anger was just as clear when he responded._ "Kirk get him down here, bring the divorce paperwork, that message and anything else he's got. And Kirk no side trips."_

"We've gotten most of the stuff already; we'll get the rest and meet you as soon as we can get to Starfleet Headquarters, and the only 'side trips' I'm taking are the ones that'll get us there faster. Kirk out." Jim ended the call and turned around to find Uhura, Spock and Bones waiting for him.

"Here's the paperwork and transcripts for the divorce and all the reports on Jo." McCoy said bitterly handing over a PADD marked 'Divorce', three PADDs with Joanna on the sides and one with a large black X on it.

"That's the recording and the logs." Uhura said passing her data disks over as well.

"Let's get to that shuttle and get started on this." Jim said as they headed for the shuttle bay.

McCoy was more jumpy than usual on the shuttle ride. Finally Jim threatened to have Spock knock him out to get him to settle down. He settled for muttering under his breath for the remainder of the trip down. Whether they were prayers or threats no one bothered to ask, they were just glad he wasn't shifting every two seconds in his seat.

When they landed Jim ordered their luggage taken to his quarters and they started for the administration building where Pike had his office.

The Starfleet Academy grounds were already packed with Starfleet personnel, cadets, families, news agencies, and the general public for so early in the morning. Jim managed to lead them around most of the crowds without being noticed in the early morning light, and they reached Pike's office building fairly quickly.

As they rode the lift to the 4th floor, Jim had his hand on McCoy's shoulder in silent support. Uhura kept shooting him reassuring looks, and Spock was as usual a calm presence to everyone in the group.

Pike called for them to enter as soon as the chime sounded. "Come in, sit down all of you. Tell me what's going on. Bones, I'm sorry about all this; Kirk gave me a brief description but I'll need details." Pike said as everyone sat down.

"How far back ya want me to go Sir?" McCoy asked as Jim handed him the PADDs, and disks.

"Start with your marriage." Pike said leaning back in his seat.

Bones sighed. "Ok. Jocelyn and I got married right before I finished med school, in April and I graduated in June. She worked some while I did my residency at the St Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital. We had a little place there in Jackson Mississippi.

"Our folks were fairly well off and my grandparents had left me enough that we were doing ok with her only workin' part time. 'Bout a year and a half later, in October of'49, Joanna was born. After I finished with school I got a job back home in Atlanta because my Daddy had been diagnosed with pyrrhoneuritis, so we moved to be closer to him and my Mama. I got us a small house and started workin' at Atlanta General. We were doin' alright, between my salary and inheritance and the money that her Daddy would send her periodically.

"Then, six months after we moved, my folks were killed in a shuttle accident. They decided to go on one last vacation before he got too sick to go. We sold our place and moved into theirs. It was bigger and had a better yard for Jo to play in. No problem I loved the old place, it had been in the family for over a hundred years or somethin' like that. I ended up takin' over my Daddy's practice too. That was when Jo was about four." McCoy said with a sigh.

"Around three months later all of a sudden I couldn't do anythin' right; either I wasn't makin' enough and when I picked up a couple extra shifts at the hospital I was workin' too much and she and Jo never saw me. I paid too much attention to Jo and ignored her, or vice versa, we never did anythin' fun anymore. I couldn't figure out what was goin' on. It was like she was in a permanent bad mood for the next couple months, then we were back to normal.

"Two years later I came home early, had my last patient cancel on me and I wanted to surprise them by bein' early for dinner for once. Found Jo down watchin' VIDs. That wasn't unusual but Jocelyn was usually with her or at least just in another room. When I asked Jo where her Mama was she told me upstairs. So I headed up there thinkin' she was puttin' away the laundry or some such." McCoy said as his usual scowl darkened at the memory.

"I caught her in bed with Goddamn Clay Treadway a guy that had been a neighbor of ours before my folks died and who I'd gone to school with." McCoy growled. "I scooped up Jo and headed for our neighbor's for the night. And went back to have it out with Jocelyn. I should have filed for divorce that night, but I was called out for an emergency, a hover-car crash and the resultin' pileup, and she beat me to it cause I was in surgery for the next twelve hours.

"The whole thing was messy, she saw to that. Supposedly I was involved with half my patients and all but one of my nurses. Or some shit like that. I still don't know how the hell she did it but by the time it was over all I had was a PADD and the suitcase I brought on the shuttle, a flask that a friend had taken away from me, and my name was _persona non grata_ at every clinic and hospital I applied to. It didn't matter where it was." He finished, leaning back in his chair, a completely disgruntled look on his face.

"That PADD has the transcripts from the trial on it. I don't know if they'll match up with the _official_ ones but I took a recorder in everyday just to have my own record of what was goin' on, afterward I couldn't get the official ones cause the jackass judge sealed 'em. But it has both the audio and the written version on there." McCoy explained as Pike looked puzzled by the 'label' on the edge of the PADD.

Everyone waited while Pike read through the decree. The farther into it he got the sterner his expression became. When he was finished he slammed it on the desk.

"Son, I'm no lawyer but I think a first year cadet or even your Chief Engineer's friend Keenser could have done a better job of defending you than whoever you had. I also think that we can get this looked at and get something a bit fairer to you. This settlement is nothing but court ordered financial slavery. I have never heard of such stupidity in this day and age. I have seen a few cadets come in like you and need help with this sort of thing, but this is absolutely unbelievable. Bones do you mind if I call in a friend of mine in JAG to look at this and the transcript?" He asked clearly appalled by the whole mess.

"I don't mind Admiral, though I rather they do it quietly so that she doesn't try and mess up my time with Jo. This'll be the first time in five years I've gotten to see her other than on a comm." McCoy said quietly.

"Of course. Now what was this about parental rights?" Pike asked.

"Do you have a data player?" Bones asked grimly picking up the data chip with the message. Pike pulled one out of his desk and handed it to him.

Pike glanced across the desk when the message ended and was only slightly surprised to see all of them had reacted. Jim's fists were clenched, McCoy had a white knuckle grip on the arms on his chair, Uhura was glaring at the player like she wanted to kill it, and even Spock's eyes were hard, a look Pike was sure he never wanted directed at himself; the fact that the rest of his face was still made it all the more unsettling. Right then he wasn't too sure he wanted to look in a mirror himself, he knew his expression was similar to theirs.

'How on Earth could someone do something like this to a man like McCoy?' He thought. Pike knew he wouldn't be there today if it hadn't been for McCoy. From the reports he'd read, McCoy had barely left his side except to tend to the other wounded once Kirk had brought him back until he was coherent and out of danger. And even then McCoy'd been by often, badgering him about meds or food, sitting down to talk or play chess after the_Yorktown_reached them. Threatening to either sedate or restrain him when he almost fell out of bed trying to get up or did anything else too physical for his condition. Sometime during the week and a half trip he'd picked up the habit of calling the doctor 'Bones' from Kirk.

Pike had known he was a good choice technically when they met but he hadn't realized how good until he was the patient. McCoy's irascible nature softened around patients, well other than Jim Kirk and Spock. And no matter what McCoy might say while treating someone, his hands were always gentle. In fact the more he groused the stronger he felt about the person he was working on.

"Ok let me call Rhymer over here and see what he thinks of this pile of, of pakh*. I can't believe you've lived with this for five years. Why didn't you come talk to me or someone?"

"I didn't think there was anythin' to do, I'd tried to but all that did was take most of the little bit I had left and the amount I owed went up because I was 'botherin' her unnecessarily'. Hell, all I did was ask about doin' half payments till I had a job." McCoy explained as Pike keyed in the number for his friend shaking his head slightly.

"_Rhymer."_

"Hey John I have a problem right up your alley in my office. I was hoping you could come down and take a look at this mess before things heat up this week." Pike told the man on the other end.

"_Admiral, you always call at the oddest moments. What type of problem?"_ Rhymer asked.

"One of our CMOs is in a spot and we need to know what we can do about it. He has the biggest Klingon shit divorce decree I've ever seen, and we have a bit of a time limit. He just got a message that she's trying to terminate his parental rights."Pike told him.

"_Ok __Chris,__ I'll be right over, __but you owe me__."_

"Thanks John, and, um, can you keep it under your hat for now?"

"_Will do. See you in five or less. Rhymer out"_

"He's one of the best Bones. Uhura will you get us some coffee please since you're the closest?" McCoy nodded as Uhura went to the pots on the side table.

"Captain, Doctor, coffee? Commander, tea correct?" at their nods she started pouring.

"How do you take it?"

"Black for me and Bones." Jim spoke for both of them.

"Admiral?"

"Black one sugar please."

As the drinks were passed, the door chimed again. John Rhymer was a little younger than Pike, blond, green eyes, a few inches shorter than the doctor, and slender.

"Whoa, this is quite a crowd! So what's going on Sir?" he asked looking at everyone with interest.

"Lt Commander John Rhymer, I want you to meet Dr Leonard McCoy. I'm trying to return the favor of him saving my life by introducing you to him. I hope you'll be able to get him out of this rather serious mess." Pike performed the introductions.

"The Klingon shit divorce?" Rhymer asked clearly intrigued.

"That's about the best description for it even if the Admiral only came up with the term today." McCoy replied dryly offering his hand.

"I'll do my best." The other replied as they shook.

"Ok so I know who the rest of you are but how do you fall into the case?" Rhymer asked looking at the others with interest.

A quick glance at the others and Jim answered "Dr McCoy and I have been friends since we met on the shuttle after we enlisted; the Lieutenent was in our class. Cmdr Spock met us, well McCoy and me the same day that we were sent to Vulcan. Since then, well you know the rest.

"We were on our way to board the last shuttle when Bones realized that one of the presents for his daughter was still in his office. I went to see what was taking so long, and got there right after he finished listening to the message that his ex sent. The Commander and Lt Uhura followed me and here we are." Jim explained seriously.

"Bones?" Rhymer asked puzzled.

"Yeah the _Captain_ here started callin' me that after I said that all I had left were my bones the day we met. It stuck and I've been called worse." McCoy said with a shrug.

"Ok, let's see what we have here." Rhymer said picking up the divorce decree. He read through it quickly and by the end he was almost spluttering.

"I have a feeling that both the judge and at least her lawyer were in this together by the way this is written." He said before starting on the transcript.

The rest of them made quiet small talk about the latest voyage and the plans they'd made for leave. After about twenty minutes there was an odd sound from Rhymer.

"Chris you'd better get a hold of someone and get them after this judge and these lawyers. If this is accurate I've got enough here, I think, to put them away, on misconduct alone," Rhymer said, dropping his professional attitude in his agitation.

"There's audio on there too, I spent the evenin's goin' back over the recording and typin' it out for somethin' to do," McCoy put in quietly as Rhymer quickly plugged an ear phone in and listened for a minute.

"You seem to have done a good job of it, from what I can see. I'll finish listening to the recording later with your permission?"

"Of course. I've dreamed of gettin' revenge on her for all of this but with Joanna….." McCoy trailed off with a shrug.

"Speaking of recordings, I need to know what lead up to the one that brought us together today, Doctor," Rhymer said steering them back on track.

McCoy took a deep breath but before he could start the story again, Uhura laid a hand on his arm.

"Sir would this help?" she asked pulling a recorder out of her carry all and handed it to Rhymer.

"I always carry it with me and I figured that Dr McCoy wouldn't want to tell it more than once." She explained looking slightly embarrassed at recoding her friend without telling him.

"Thanks, Uhura." McCoy murmured, covering her hand with his for a moment.

"That'll be helpful, thank you Lieutenant," Rhymer told her.

"Admiral, Lt Commander, may I be excused for a moment I don't think I can listen to that message a fourth time without throwin' somethin' again and I don't want to accidently hurt anyone," McCoy said as Rhymer gathered the recorders.

"Of course you may Doctor, I understand. We'll call you when we're done." Pike assured him.

"Thanks," he replied gratefully as he hurried out.

"Uhura, go with him please?" Jim asked her quietly and dropped his voice even further. "I don't want him to be alone right now. If you see any of the others let them know what's going on quietly, no need to make this public knowledge. And make sure that he isn't drinking. That's the last thing he needs right now." He finished, almost whispering the last.

"I will, Kirk, don't worry." She replied in the same tones, patted his shoulder once, and headed out after him.

Lt Commander Rhymer was extremely puzzled; he'd never seen this sort of familial interactions among crew members that weren't married before.

"Captain before I play these can you explain what is going on between yourself, the Doctor and the Lieutenant?"

"I'll do my best Sir." Jim replied sending an amused look at both Spock and Pike.

"Bones, Uhura and I met almost five years ago; on a recruiting trip stop in Iowa actually." Jim said leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I met Uhura at the local bar; she was there with the rest of the recruits. We got to talking and four of the guys with her took exception to that fact. I'll admit I was a bit drunk at the time all five of us were, but hey. They threw the first punch, I got my ass handed to me before Captain Pike broke it up;" he shot a quick grin at the Admiral. "Then he dared me to do better than my father had in Starfleet. I took him up on it, and met Bones the next morning.

"Bones hates shuttles, absolutely hates them, and was hiding in the bathroom. He ended up sitting next to me after the flight commander dragged him out. We were both hung over, and got to talking, as well as splitting the last of his bourbon; found out later he was coming off a week long bender because of his divorce.

"We ended up rooming together for the next three years. I'd drag him out to bars on the weekends he'd nurse a beer all night and then make sure I got back safe, patch me up if I got in a fight, usually after dragging me bodily out of it. We got to be best friends, he's not only one of my best friends, he's become the closest thing to family any one can without blood. Spock," Jim shot an amused look at the Vulcan, who responded with a raised eyebrow. "To say that Spock and I did not get along at first would be an understatement. We've gotten to be friends I think, though I still question his logic in dumping me on Delta Vega." The two shared another amused glance.

The rest has been retold so many times; I'm sure you know it; that we limped home till the _Yorktown_ found us and towed us back."

"That still doesn't totally explain the informality or the closeness of the relationships with your crew." He pointed out.

"In a way it does, the bridge is the closest group; but rest of the departments are almost as close internally. In a way I guess what I said about Bones being unofficial family kinda holds true for most of us. There wasn't a person on the _Enterprise_ that didn't lose someone that day. I can't count the number of people I knew.

"That whole mission from the time we dropped out of warp at Vulcan till we blew the warp cores, we weren't sure if we'd still be there in five minutes. We ended up taking on stuff we weren't really prepared for. We did the best we knew how, luckily it was enough." Jim said, remembering what happened.

"On the way home you could hardly walk down the halls without finding someone mourning the loss of friends or relatives. So we leaned on each other, you'd go into the mess or rec rooms and find groups that just couldn't face sleep or being alone, especially after the _Yorktown_ found us. So we sat up telling stories about pranks and general stuff that happened. It was our form of a memorial service. Even some of the Vulcans came in to listen. We didn't pressure them to join in but we offered them what we could in the way of food, drinks and just having someone to sit with them if they wanted.

"I heard someone say when we got home that we'd had a baptism by fire, I'll agree with that. We all saw each other at our best and worst; it's made us a stronger crew and a closer one. I know we're the youngest crew in the fleet but we know where we're coming from, we all went through it together, we've got each other's backs." Jim finished the pride in his crew evident in his tone.

"They do too John." Pike put in. "McCoy's the one who performed the surgery after Kirk here rescued me. As I was recuperating, I badgered him into letting me continue my open door policy for a couple of hours a day. I heard a lot of the same things about losing people in the ambush, but they all knew that everyone would be there for them. It's true that the command crew especially is close. I think if they'd still been on the ship we would have had three more in here trying to help. Am I right?" he asked looking at Jim in amusement.

"Most likely Sir. Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov would've been here in a heartbeat if they'd known. Lt Cmdr Scott's our chief engineer, Lt. Sulu's our helmsman and Ens. Chekov is our navigator." Jim explained with a chuckle.

"Should we not be getting back to the subject of Doctor McCoy's troubles?" Spock asked pointedly. "We can discuss crew interactions at a later date and in greater depth than we can here and now."

"Of course, we do need to get back on track." Pike said hitting the play button on Uhura's recorder. Rhymer made notes on his own PADD as it played then did the same for the recording from the ship.

McCoy was standing at the end of the hall, staring out the window when Uhura caught up with him.

"Are you going to be all right, Len?"Uhura asked laying a hand on his arm as she joined him.

"I don't know, Uhura, I just don't know. All I know is if she wins this I might just as well have died up there in the black or any of the other messes Jim's got us into since then. We've barely got out so many times with our skins intact since then. Here," he sighed handing her a small silver flask. "I know Jim probably told you to make sure that I wasn't drinkin'. That's been empty for 'bout two weeks now. Yes I still have a bottle of bourbon in my quarters. And yes I still have one glass before bed at least twice a week, two if Jim's been up to his 'tricks' and I've just gotten the place cleared of patients. Mostly I have it for the comfort of just carryin' it. My folks gave me that when I finished my residency. Mama and Daddy came to visit and celebrate the fact I was followin' in his footsteps. That was just about a month before he was diagnosed with pyrrhoneuritis. Read what it says." McCoy told her looking sadly at the bottle in her hand.

"'To Leonard, the next great Dr McCoy. All our love Mama and Daddy'. That's sweet Len."

"Yeah that's the only thing I have of them. And the only reason I still do is that a friend had taken it away from me before the officers searched to make sure that I wasn't makin' off with anythin' I wasn't 'entitled to.' God I hate her!" he said dropping his head against the glass, closing his eyes against the tears that wanted to fall. Uhura gently turned him to face her.

"Come on, you've got Kirk, me, Spock, and Admiral Pike on your side, plus everyone else once they find out about this. We'll get this fixed, Len, you'll see." Uhura told him, getting a small smile even as one tear fell. "Shh it'll be ok." she told him giving him a hug. "You've got some powerful people on your side in this, don't forget."

"Thanks." Was all he said as he wrapped his arms around her. "I needed to hear that. I guess I'm so used to her bein' my fight. And y'all are the best." McCoy added as they stepped back a couple minutes later.

"What else are friends for? Besides you take care of the rest of us all the time, so it's our turn." Uhura said with a small smile that managed to bring a slight one from McCoy.

"Thank you." McCoy said as the door to Pike's office opened.

"Ok we're done with the recordings Bones. Rhymer has a few questions for you." Jim called to them.

Once they were all back inside and seated, Rhymer began asking questions concerning the remark about never calling. After hearing about and reading the transmission logs, he made a few more notes before going back over everything just to be sure that he understood and had all the facts.

"How did your ex-wife have a way to reach you on the ship?"

"I sent it to Jo actually but I'm pretty sure that Jocelyn never gave it to her, since I'm the one that always calls her. I told Jo once that if she needs to reach me to call here and tell them it's an urgent message for me." McCoy said with a slight scowl.

"Alright, when are you supposed to pick your daughter up and where?"

"We were gonna to leave on Saturday mornin'. Swing by Iowa so Jim could see his Mama. Then I'd head for Atlanta either Sunday night or early Monday mornin'. Be at the house between 0900 and 1200. Pick up Jo and head for the mountains, friend of mine from high school has a cabin that he's lettin' us borrow. So it'll be just us for that week and then the last, Jim, Spock, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty are all comin' to join us, then we'll take her back to Atlanta and come back here. Or at least that was the plan. What are you thinkin' of changin'?"

"Nothing right now. I can start my inquiries this week, then once you have her we can make more detailed plans. Depending on what else we find there's a good chance she'll be owing you a large amount of money; and there is a chance that you'll end up in a total reversal and you'll have Joanna with you." Rhymer explained.

"Wait, won't that mean that I'm off the _Enterprise_?" McCoy demanded sounding a cross between overjoyed and panicked.

"No McCoy it won't; you see the resolution for dependents of Starfleet personnel on Starships was reinstated this week. So the rest of deck 5 and 6 will be turned back into child care and school facilities while you're on leave. Kirk you'll find the roster of new crew on your desk when you return. The Admiralty decided that since the repercussions of two years ago are being handled relatively peacefully that it's wiser to go back to 'normal'. In other words since no one is trying to destroy the Federation that keeping our people happy might be better. Personnel with families are starting to demand to be put planet side or on starbases because they can't bring them along and it's starting to hurt morale and crew numbers." Pike explained, both Jim and Spock nodded in understanding having lost several crew members to that ruling. The resolution had been enacted shortly before the Kelvin was attacked and had been swiftly repealed in the wake of the tragedy.

"Doctor, do you have a way to be reached at the cabin?" Rhymer asked getting them back on track.

"Yes the number's in my PADD with my luggage. It should be in Jim's quarters with the rest of our stuff. I can send it here to Admiral Pike and he can get it to you. That way you'll both have it."

"Sounds good. Now I want you four to get out and relax as much as you can this week. Rhymer and I will take this from here, and one of us will be in touch the whole way to let you know what's happening. Bones don't worry everything will work out. And if it has to go back to trial I will make sure the _Enterprise_ and you are here for it. You might want to go start getting ready; the ceremony starts in less than two hours." Pike reminded them

"We'll be there Sir. Take care and thank you both for this." Jim said as everyone shook hands and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Not mine. All I own are copies of the Blu-ray and novelization.

Thank you Royalpinkdogs for the great job of beta-ing.

* * *

><p>Chapter two<p>

After a quick stop at Jim's quarters to sort out the luggage; they all retreated to their rooms to prepare for the ceremony at 0900. The whole week was dedicated to those who lost their lives on the many Federation ships as well as those killed by the destruction of Vulcan.

McCoy sent off the comm. info to Admiral Pike and hurried to finish getting into the dress uniform that he'd had to dig out of the back of his closet the night before. He knew that it was unlikely that Jocelyn would let Jo watch any of the coverage but he was hoping that they could find some way to record them for her. That hope was about all that made his dress uniform bearable.

'What exactly has she told Jo about my not calling her?' That thought opened the door to all sorts of possibilities, as McCoy rushed to Jim's door and leaned on the chime.

"Geez Bones what's the matter?" Jim asked smoothing his uniform shirt.

"I just thought of somethin' that might cause us problems. I know she's been keepin' me from talkin' to Jo but what the hell has she been tellin' her about why I suddenly quit callin'?" McCoy said worriedly.

"Oh God; why didn't we think about that before? C'mon we gotta get a hold of Pike fast." Jim exclaimed tearing back into the room to try and reach Pike at his office but they'd just missed him. That sent them rushing to the hall where the ceremony was being held. They found Pike just entering the Hall.

"Sir! We may have a problem." Jim said as they hurried up to his wheel chair.

"What's the matter? Come inside before we get mobbed by the media." Pike ordered as Jim held the door and they followed him in. "Ok now what's got you two panicked?" the Admiral asked looking between them.

"We know that she's been sayin' Jo isn't home when I try and talk to her but we don't know what she's told Jo. If she's been tellin' her it's because I don't want her, and that's the sort a thing she'd do, and then I show up she won't want to see me. And Jocelyn will love that she's finally managed to turn her against me. She hates it that Joanna's been a Daddy's girl since she was born" McCoy explained quickly.

"Is there anyone that we can use as a go between down there, someone that your ex-wife wouldn't suspect?" Pike asked thoughtfully running over various scenarios in his head.

"There might be. Mrs. Parker has lived next door since I was in high school. And I know she loves Jo. She might be able to." McCoy said thinking out loud.

"Where's the nearest comm. Admiral?" Jim asked.

"Right this way. Let's get this started." Pike said as he maneuvered his wheelchair through the halls. As soon as they were in an empty office with the door closed, Pike called Rhymer to meet them ASAP.

While they waited Jim called the others on their communicators to let them know what was going on and where they were. Everyone said they'd meet them there. Rhymer arrived just as Jim finished signing off with Chekov.

"Ok Sir how are we goin' to work this?" McCoy asked.

"Well first let's try your ex and see what happens. Then we'll go from there. Joanna knows about the camping plans?" Rhymer asked, trying to keep the different variables in mind.

"Yeah, we started makin' them before this last mission once we knew 'bout the shore leave. I wanted her to have somethin' to look forward to." McCoy replied.

"Ok we need to stay out of it but we are here as witnesses. You haven't called her this month yet have you?" Rhymer asked.

"No I knew I'd need to touch bases with her after we got here." McCoy replied a bit testily.

"Ok call her now, and we'll be listening and recording." Rhymer said attaching a recorder to the comm. and placing it out of sight on the desktop, as Bones keyed in the number.

As usual Jocelyn answered. She was a slender woman, with short strawberry blonde hair and hard green eyes.

"_Well Leonard, what do you want?"_ she demanded coolly.

"I want to talk to our daughter, Jocelyn. And let her know I'm comin' to get her next week like we've been planin'." McCoy replied managing to keep his tone conversational, barely.

"_Well she isn't here right now; she's over at a friend's for the day."_ Jocelyn said evenly. Even though her tone was practiced McCoy could tell that she was lying. He'd spent too much time around Jim lying about injuries to not know the signs.

"That's bullshit Jocelyn and you know it! I know you and you don't let her spend the day with a friend period. Also I happen to know you wouldn't let her out of the house anyway this week because she might accidently watch the coverage of the Federation Memorial. So put her on!" He demanded as he temper started to fray at her attitude.

"_I told you that she's not here! Go away or I'll be callin' my lawyer."_ With that she ended the transmission. Jim was the first to move laying a hand on McCoy's shoulder.

"Hey, we still have your neighbor right?" Jim said trying take his friend's mind off his ex-wife.

"Yeah. I just hope the number hasn't changed." He replied keying in another number as Jim stepped back.

"_Hello? Lenny? Is that really you?"_ gasped the older lady with a grin, she reminded Jim a bit of an old drawing of Mrs. Clause in a Christmas book he'd had as a child.

"Yeah it's me Mrs. P." McCoy said with an indulgent half smile.

"_So what are you doing callin' me instead of your little girl?"_ Mrs. Parker inquired seriously, seeming to sense something was up.

"I need your help. Jocelyn's been tryin' to pull somethin' the last few months and I need your help to get to talk to Jo." McCoy told her gravely.

"_So that's what's been wrong with the little darlin'. I just thought it was the fact that her Mama's remarryin'. She sure don't like him none, and I can't see that he's any prize. But _she's_ just crazy 'bout him._" Mrs. Parker said with a shake of her head._ "Now Lenny, don't worry about your girl, she's still lookin' for ya to come get her. That's what she told me yesterday. We were talkin' out front, and she looks up at me and says, 'Daddy's gonna come get me for leave I know it.' She sounded like you the way she said it like it was absolute fact."_ Mrs. Parker told him with a grin that loosened the knot in his stomach.

"Thanks Mrs. P that's a relief. I was afraid that she thought that I didn't want her or somethin' like that, since Jocelyn won't let me talk to her. Do you still have that old dresser that you used to claim 'ate' your jewelry when I was in high school?" McCoy asked with a slight devious smile.

"_You bet I do that thing's too heavy to get out. Remember it took you, your Daddy, and my Steve to get it up there. Let me guess you want me to say it 'ate' something and have Jo come over to get it?"_ she asked with a smile of her own.

"That's right. Did the number come up?"

"_Yes it did Lenny."_

"Will you call me back so I can talk to her? I only have about half an hour till the ceremony starts." McCoy told her glancing at the clock.

"_Of course I will Lenny. I'll call over right now. Take care of yourself I worry about you up there. Parker out."_ She said grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

As they waited the others showed up. First Chekov, who claimed he was trying to get away from his mother and aunt. Sulu wasn't far behind, claiming reporters, Scotty, Uhura, and Spock arrived almost together.

After introductions Admiral Pike was starting to update everyone when the comm. chimed. McCoy hit the button almost before the sound ended.

There on the screen was his girl, long, dark brown hair braided down her back, and serious hazel eyes, the serious expression only lasted a second when she saw who she was talking to.

"_Daddy! I knew you weren't gonna forget me. I don't care what Mama says."_ None of them could miss the hurt in her voice at the mention of her mother.

"Hey Darlin' Girl. How ya holdin' up Jo?" Almost everyone was surprised at how different he sounded talking to her. Jim was the only one who'd really seen this softer side of him before.

"_Not so good Daddy. I don't want to not be yours. But 'Mama' says ya got no choice, but I'm not supposed to tell ya, cause it's supposed to be a surprise, like it's somethin' for you for your birthday or Christmas. And it's not!" _Joanna stormed her temper getting the best of her.

"Darlin', calm down, ok? I'll be seein' you as soon as I can get out of the circus here. But that won't be till Friday. So hang in there. I got us that cabin, and several of my friends from the crew are gonna join us the second week." McCoy told her and watched her light up again.

"_Is Uncle Jim one of them? Who else?"_ Joanna asked grinning in excitement.

"Yeah he's comin', so are Chekov, Sulu, Uhura, Spock and Scotty." He told her grinning at her enthusiasm at the prospect of finally meeting them. She'd met Jim a number of times over the comm. starting when they were roommates but that wasn't the same.

"Jo, I want ya to take down these numbers and keep them with you. And don't tell your mama." He told her and gave her the numbers for his communicator and Admiral Pike's. "You remember, I told you 'bout the Admiral? He's a good guy- one of the best I know, if I don't answer call him."

"_Ok. Don't worry I won't and I will. I don't want her to get mad at me cause then she won't let me go. And I do __**not**__ want to be locked up again."_ McCoy's fists clenched under the desk.

"Jo what d'ya mean locked up?" he asked managing barely to keep the anger out of his voice.

"_Mama' lets that Victor, lock me in the box room if I don't do what he says, or say anythin' bout you to defend you. He's always sayin' how you're nothin' but a- Daddy don't get mad and wash my mouth out please- worthless bastard who never should have had a medical license. And that you lied after all the stuff two years ago cause there was no way you wouldda been allowed near a Starfleet captain let alone an Admiral. When I said that you don't ask for rank when you've got folks hurt and doctors help whoever's next, last week; Victor wopped me with his belt and locked me in the box room overnight." _Everyone watched as Bones' face went livid. Jim jumped in quickly, grabbing him by the shoulder, hard, and leaning into the screen before his friend could lose his temper, or Joanna could see how mad he was at what she's said.

"_Uncle Jim! I'm glad you're ok. Daddy said you got hurt pretty bad before the last trip."_ She smiled at him.

"Yeah JoJo, he patched me up like always, though. I wanted to say hi since I won't be seeing you for another couple weeks. You take care of your Dad until we get there ok?" Jim grinned back.

"_Ya bet I will, Mrs. P's teachin' me how to cook a bit. I'll see you soon Uncle Jim, tell everyone else I said hi too."_ She said as Jim felt Bones shoulder relax slightly.

"Will do JoJo. I better let your Dad talk to you before he uses a hypo to knock me unconscious- again." Jim and Joanna both laughed at that as he stepped back. Bones was back in control again smiling slightly at her attachment to his friend.

"I'd better go too Darlin' so you and Mrs. P don't get in trouble. I'll be there in a week to get you and don't tell your Mama that you talked to me. I do want you to do something for me Jo -;remember that I love ya Darlin' girl." McCoy said, softly.

"_I love you too Daddy. See you soon. Bye." _Joanna said with a little wave as the link ended.

Bones sat there a minute just staring at the screen trying not to think about someone else laying a hand on his girl, as the others digested what they'd just learned.

Spock's voice broke him out of his musings. "Doctor you have a beautiful child. She resembles you greatly."

That got a grudging chuckle. "Thanks Spock."

"Ok, I think we need to do some rethinking here." Rhymer said from his spot against the wall. He'd been one of the ones most able to see the screen. "From what both your daughter and neighbor have said and your ex-wife's attitude, I think that a bit more of a proactive stance might be helpful. Is there a way for someone to go with you to get her, as witness to your ex-wife's behavior?" Everyone glanced around thinking over their travel plans.

"Nyet, Sir zhere is no vay I kin, my Mama vould ruin eet. I am sorry Doktor." Chekov said sadly.

"I'm going to my cousin's wedding in Seoul on Sunday with my parents." Sulu put in.

"Ah guess tha' leaves me, Ah'm goin ta my mother's bu' if yeh need me Ah don't think she'll mind me gettin' there a bit late Doctor." Scotty put in grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"We can come too, Leonard." Uhura spoke up after a glance at Spock.

"Bones if we take the direct route from here, I can go with you to pick up JoJo and then head for Iowa." Jim added.

Admiral Pike started laughing at the slightly baffled look on McCoy's face. "I think just one or two at the most. You take too many and that'll blow the whole plan of finding anything out. Though I'm tempted to tell you to take Spock and Kirk with you if for nothing more than the fact that Spock could tie her up in so many 'logical' knots that we could do just about anything with her. And we both know Kirk's the best at talking his way into and out of trouble." Pike commented causing most of them to chuckle. "But for right now don't worry about it, you can decide who's best to go when we get more information."

"I have already found out a few things that make me think taking witnesses might be an option to seriously consider." Rhymer said solemnly. "And that it might be easier to get Joanna moved to your custody than we thought. After our meeting I started looking up her associates and general finances; nothing that would raise a red flag, it's done every day. There are some rather interesting payments that have come up. I'll keep digging, I know there's more."

"Good, now shall we get moving? At least get this welcome out of the way, so we can move on to the important stuff?" Pike asked as he ushered them out the door.

None of them liked the idea of a week of being fussed over and being reminded of how many were lost but people needed to remember. They filed out behind Pike with Jim pushing his wheelchair so they could talk.

"Sir, do you really think there's chance that Bones might get her back?" he asked quietly.

"From what I know of him and what I've heard and seen of his ex today, I definitely think he's the better choice. I just hope nothing happens between now and Friday. She certainly is a beautiful girl."Pike replied, matching Jim's quiet tone.

"I agree with you on both counts, Sir." Jim said with a chuckle.

"So how did you end up meeting her, 'Uncle Jim'?" Pike asked his young protégé with a grin.

"Well, you know that Bones and I roomed together here and at first I left the room so they could talk. The night we told you about Finnegan I wandered out when I heard her talking, she saw me asked who I was. So he introduced us. After that, if I was still there I'd always say hi or something to her before I left; or she'd have Bones tell me hi when I got back. I'm not sure where she got the Uncle part but, hey I don't mind, I'm pretty sure there's no other way I'll get called that anytime soon." Jim finished with a chuckle as they reached the door of the largest assembly hall Starfleet had.

The rest of the morning was lost in official welcomes and the general dedication of a walled, glass roofed memorial 'garden'. It contained plants from Vulcan, and scattered around the space were walls that held the names and images of the ships and crews lost. The walls surrounding the garden were carved with the names of the Vulcans lost, grouped by city and family. Admiral Michael Archer announced that each day one wall would be dedicated, and on the last day it would be open to the families for the first week, and on the next Monday it would be open to the public. That day would commemorate two ships; the survival of the_Enterprise_ as well as the loss of the_Kelvin_.

To most the inclusion of the _Kelvin_ was a shock. A murmur went through the crowd as Admiral Pike carefully stepped up to the podium. As he stood there retelling, from his dissertation, the tale of the first contact with the vessel that would, 25 years later, destroy Vulcan, Jim fought to keep his composure, his mother had started telling him more about his father over the last two years which in a way made it even more painful to hear. Jim sat there, eyes closed, surrounded by his friends listening to the man who'd been his mentor during his years at the Academy and was now one of his greatest supporters and sounding boards, hearing both the 'official' version and his mother's version of that day in his head.

As the names of those lost were called he let his mind wander to everything that his mom had told him about his dad, then his eyes flew open in shock at hearing his own name. He sat there frozen for a few seconds till Bones nudged him in the ribs to get him moving, he scrambled to his feet and managed to walk down to the floor of the hall.

"Captain Kirk, I know that you weren't expecting this, but we wanted to return something long overdue. Please accept this with the gratitude of Starfleet." Pike said formally as he passed Jim a small plaque; there to one side was a picture of his father as well as a scored and twisted transponder ring set into the metal.

"The _Excelsior_ picked up the signal three years ago, and managed to track it down. I thought that you'd want to have a piece of him, Jim." Pike murmured to him, as Jim stared in awe at this piece of his father.

"Thank you, Sir." He whispered, glancing up, gratitude shining through the sudden tears in his eyes. "You're welcome son." Pike responded glancing at the crowd meaningfully. Jim flushed a bit and turned. "Thank you; Sorry I don't know what to say. I never expected anything" he trailed off, clearing his throat. "Thank you." He said again looking over the crowd.

As he turned to leave, Pike stopped him to shake his hand, and Jim surprised both of them by pulling him into a quick one armed hug.

"Thank you- for everything." He murmured as he stepped back and headed to his seat; as Adm. Barnett stepped to the podium and started on the deeds and losses of the _Enterprise_.

That night everyone wished they could come up with a valid reason not to go to the banquet but having a Doctor in the group more or less canceled out being ill and everyone in the quadrant knew they were there so hiding wasn't going to work either.

Not even Jim really enjoyed himself at these things, but this time he just wanted this week over with so they could get something done to help Bones and Joanna.

After dinner he tracked down Pike to thank him again without everyone watching and find out a bit more about his dad's ring.

An hour later, he joined Bones and Scotty in a corner to hide until they could sneak out. They finally got back to their rooms around eleven.

'Day one done, thank God. - G'night -Dad' Jim thought as he fell asleep, after one last glance at the plaque propped up on the bedside table.

The first day set the tone for the rest of the week, and as expected they were all quickly bored with the pageantry. At times they all wondered why the hell they had stopped Nero, as they were bombarded by the vultures of the media; families, both their own and those of their friends they could handle. But many of the reporters hadn't read the guidelines they'd been given for what was considered impolite, and/or offensive on various planets and cultures. This was evident when one decided to corner Spock in one of the rose gardens, and question him about what happened on Vulcan.

It was lucky, for the reporter, that Jim, Bones, Scotty and Uhura happened to find them when they did. It took all three of the men to rather unwillingly rescue the reporter from the seven foot high trellis Spock had hung the back of his belt on and Uhura almost five minutes to calm Spock back down, even though his reaction was nonexistent compared to what it could have been. Then she and Jim spent another five haranguing the reporter on his lack of sensitivity and manners, as well as the cultural differences of Vulcans, while they waited for the medics and security to arrive.

Jim had found the man's recorder in a flower bed and played it for everyone concerned at Medical. Since that ended up being the first of several other incidents, Admirals Barnett and Archer quickly issued orders that the media could not be on the grounds unescorted.

Every evening before dinner they managed to meet with Rhymer and go over what he'd found out. Things were complicated to say the least; Jocelyn McCoy appeared to have had two affaires after the move to Atlanta. That seemed to have turned into a string of boyfriends since the divorce, and she had paid large sums to various people the month after it was final. Rhymer was working on the list so it could be turned over to the authorities. Her fiancé, Victor Donovan, it turned out had been in and out of jail for years when he was younger, mostly for bar fights, assault, and the like. His record was clean for the past ten years, so that didn't automatically mean he was up to something but still Rhymer felt better looking at everything. So Rhymer continued his searches, he had enough on the judge and the lawyers in the case to have them charged but a bit extra never hurt, just to be safe in case something unexpected came up.

They all greeted Friday morning with sighs of relief, because as of 2100 hours that night they were free of the spotlight of the last week.

Just as McCoy stepped out of the shower, his communicator went off.

"McCoy." He answered thinking it was Jim reminding him about breakfast.

"_Oh Lenny, thank God I reached you." _Came the worried voice of Mrs. Parker.

"What's wrong? Has somethin' happened to Jo?" He demanded his mind switching gears immediately.

"_I'm not sure what but somethin' has. I hadn't seen her outside since Wednesday evenin'; I thought I'd just missed her. Then this mornin' I went out to water and saw her in the side window of the store room upstairs, she had a black eye and possibly a split lip."_ Mrs. Parker told him, speaking faster than normal.

"What!" He almost roared into the device, grabbing for his clothes and trying to get dressed one handed.

"_She saw me and signaled to call you. I'm keepin' an eye on the place, Lenny. And I got my husband's old phaser out on stun if they try to take her anywhere, b'fore y'all get here."_ McCoy almost smiled at the picture. Mrs. Parker didn't look like much but she was a crack shot; right now he was more concerned about his daughter though.

"Could you tell how bad the black eye was?" he asked, the doctor in him wanted as much info as possible.

"_I'm not sure with the angle and reflections, and all but it didn't look quite as bad as that one you got playin' that pickup game of football right before your sophomore year of high school from the Brody boy but I think close from what I could see of the bruise."_ She told him, knowing that he'd remember.

"Good God!" he responded in shock, that black eye was one of the worst he'd had. The other kid's shoulder had come right down on him, seconds after he'd hit the ground.

"Ok, I'm callin' Jim and Admiral Pike; let them know what you told me. Keep watchin', but don't do anythin' Mrs. P, if they try and leave call the cops. I don't want anythin' to happen to you." McCoy told her sternly.

"_Don't worry Lenny I'll still be here when you arrive." _She assured him, the determination in her voice coming clearly through.

"Thanks Mrs. P. McCoy out." McCoy hurried to finish dressing and get a hold of Pike. Somehow, in his rush, he managed to get tangled in his pants and hit the floor hard.

"Goddamnit!" He swore as he untangled himself and finally managed to get them on.

He called Pike who answered sleepily. _"H'llo?"_

"Admiral this is McCoy. I just got a call from Mrs. Parker. She said that Jo's been hurt and locked up in the box room." He said in a rush.

"_Jo's been what?"_ Pike asked coming awake.

"Mrs. Parker said that she hadn't seen Jo since Wednesday and this mornin' she saw her in the window of the box room, she said Jo had a very nasty black eye and a possible split lip. Jo signaled for Mrs. P to get a hold of me." McCoy said as he finished getting his boots on.

"_Ok rouse the others I'll get Rhymer outta bed and meet you in my office. I'm also going to get Archer in on this so that he doesn't blow a gasket when part of the command crew of the flagship disappears today."_ Pike told him, from the sound of rustling it was clear that he was dressing as fast as Bones had minutes before.

"Will do Admiral, and thanks. McCoy out." He didn't even bother with the comm.; he flew out of his room and started pounding on doors, starting with Jim's. Soon six sleepy people were gathering around him wanting to know what the hell he was doing at 0630 in the morning.

"I gotta call this mornin', Jo's been hurt and locked up. We need to meet Pike at his office ASAP; he's gettin' Rhymer and Archer. Said he was gonna spring us with the Admiral to go get her." McCoy rushed out sending everyone scurrying back to get dressed and packed.

"Don't forget your shirt, Bones" Jim called after him. McCoy just flipped him the bird as he dashed back into his room.

Ten minutes later they hurried out of the Single Guest Barracks, five of them with bags in hand. Everyone wanted to at least be in on the plans even if they couldn't go themselves.

Pike was just unlocking his door when they arrived five minutes later.

"I see you brought the whole group, but the more heads involved in this the better I think." He said rolling into his office. As they got settled Rhymer arrived, in much the same slightly rumpled state as the rest of them. Uhura was finishing making coffee and tea when Admiral Archer entered sending everyone to attention.

"At ease. Ok what the hell is going on here that is so important that I need to get down here this early?" he demanded looking around the room and focusing on Admiral Pike.

"We have a potential situation going on Michael." Pike informed him gravely.

"And why wasn't I notified of it before now?" Archer demanded, not happy at being woken so rudely.

"Because we thought that it would play itself out after the ceremonies were through. And if you needed to be brought in it would be over the _Enterprise's_ shore leave if at all." Pike explained.

"Oh and what was going to play out?" Archer asked with a look at the_Enterprise_ officers.

"Michael you remember Dr Leonard McCoy? Well it seems his ex-wife got him in, what we're calling, a Klingon shit mess of a divorce five years ago, now she's trying to have his parental rights revoked."

"Alright but that still doesn't explain-" Archer started to say.

"He wasn't supposed to find out until after he was back on board the _Enterprise_ that his rights were terminated two days before the end of leave, so he couldn't contest the action. Rhymer can you explain the whole mess?"Pike said turning to Rhymer knowing that he could explain it easier.

It took Rhymer ten minutes to run through the facts of the case; he'd had the foresight to bring along the decree and PADDs as back up. Archer looked at everything in shock.

"McCoy, how on earth did you manage to hide this for so long?"

"I didn't need much while here and not much more on the _Enterprise_." he shrugged, "The last time I tried to do anythin' about it, it ended up costing me more. About the only thing I managed to keep was this-. Uh, Uhura you do still have it right?" he asked patting his pockets.

"Yes Doctor right here. Did you really think I'd lose it?" she asked handing him the flask.

"No. My folks gave me that when I finished my residency. It ended up bein' the only thing from them that I've had, so I carry it to remember them." He said passing it to Archer. "Don't worry its empty." Archer handed it back with a nod of understanding.

He quietly looked over the crew. "Let me guess, you all want to go help your CMO get his daughter?" he asked his concern showing.

"We'd all like to but some of us can't and we're still deciding who is."Jim replied looking at Archer gravely.

"Ok let's decide that now. Who can go?" Scotty, Spock, Uhura, and Jim motioned they could.

"Ok Doctor it's up to you. You know your ex-wife and you know your shipmates." Archer said quietly.

"I agree with Admiral Pike on this one, Jim, Spock, and Uhura. We might need a woman along." He responded to Spock's unasked question.

"Alright what's the strategy?" Archer asked looking at the others.

"First we need to let the Atlanta police know what's going on. Then we'll have to play it by ear. But we might want to think about getting someone in the house to make sure Joanna's safe." Rhymer said thoughtfully. "We have enough charges of fraud and abuse of power on the legal end of this case."

"You need to be wery careful zhough, so zhey don't hurt her vorse." Chekov said looking concerned.

"The lad's pegged it, if yaer neighbor's righ' an' she's hurt a'ready chargin' in could make it worse." Scotty put in his two cents.

"If there's window is there a way of getting a ladder up there and getting her down before they know she's gone?" Sulu suggested.

"I think you are potentially complicating a simple logical problem unnecessarily. All Doctor McCoy should have to do is proceed as originally planned for picking her up, then if his former spouse decides to become obdurate, further steps will need to be taken. One thing that might prevent such an occurrence is the presence of Lt Cmdr Rhymer from the start. There is an 87% likely hood that the presence of someone of the legal profession that she has no ties to or hold over will frighten her into acceding to our demands for Joanna quietly." Spock put in with a trace of amusement in his voice, that only his friends and Admiral Pike noticed.

"Also if we have legal proof of B-Dr. McCoy's plans to have the divorce settlement appealed and possibly overturned. That might soften her up as well." Jim added, seeing where Spock was going. "We can drop the stuff off about the lawyers and the judge any time before we leave town, or do we have a timeline on this kinda thing?" he asked Rhymer.

"Ah don't think ya oughtta put it off too long, else the cops'll plague yaer life out wi' calls ta answer questions that couldda been dealt with at the start." Scotty advised. "Had a cousin tha' happened ta over a crackup in Aberdeen." He explained.

"The police will need to have the information as soon as we can get it to them so they can confirm our claims and pick up the lawyers and judge." Rhymer said.

"Ok we'll drop the info with the police when we give them the rest of the paperwork." Jim replied and glanced at his Chief Engineer. "With the four of us leaving that puts you in charge of keeping the crew in line, Mr. Scott." Jim informed him.

Scotty looked a bit wild eyed when he heard that. "Bu' Cap'n Ah've nae real experience commandin' a ship larger than a shuttle a'fore. Sittin' for hours in orbit durrin' a peace conference don' count." He protested.

"Mr. Scott all you have to do is make sure that no one makes a fool of themselves or gets into trouble today. Once shore leave starts it's off your hands." Pike told him. "And I'll be there to help make sure they do." He added much to Scotty's relief.

"Thank ya Sir Ah don' think tha' they'll listen any too well wi'out you lookin over my shoulder as it were."

"Very well, Rhymer do you have the documents for reopening the case and collecting Dr McCoy's daughter?"Admiral Archer asked.

"All ready for signing Sir. I didn't want to waste time if we found ourselves in this situation so I drew them up Monday and most were signed then." He said as he pulled the papers from his brief case.

As the last papers were signed the rest started gathering their bags. After everything legal was taken care of, they all began filing out of the office.

"I'll put in a call to the APD to let them know you're coming." Pike told them as they left. "Unfortunately you'll have to take a civilian shuttle. Every shuttle we could lay our hands on is in use today ferrying dignitaries."

Goodbyes were said on the way out as everyone scurried off to the shuttle terminal or to finish getting ready for the memorial for Vulcan.

"Rhymer did you bring your dress uniform?" Jim asked stopping suddenly realizing that Spock and Uhura were in theirs, minus the final touches.

"Why?"

"Well you're there to try and intimidate the lady so shouldn't you look the part?" Jim replied with slightly maddening logic.

"I'll meet you at the terminal, Captain." Rhymer said as he took off towards his quarters.

"Bones, don't worry, it'll be alright." Jim told him twenty minutes later. They were waiting at the shuttle terminal for the next flight to Atlanta and his pacing was driving Jim crazy. Uhura had gone to get them some breakfast and Rhymer had just let them know he had left the grounds.

"Yes Doctor, it is ill-advised to wear yourself out in this manner when you know that you will need your mind clear to deal with the situation." Spock added, even his usual calm was slightly unsettled by the events of the last week, and this morning's news.

"I can't help it; I need to be doin' somethin'. Besides I thought that you'd rather I not fidget the whole trip." He groused at them.

Jim stood up and placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, "Bones, come on, take a deep breath. Is there anything that you can do right now, this second that could help Joanna? Spock's right, we need you in one piece for this. And I know part of the reason you're worked up is the shuttle." He told him seriously.

"No But there seems like there should be. And yeah Jim you're right about the shuttle damn you." McCoy answered sourly, sighing.

"Come on sit down for a minute and tell us a bit about Atlanta." He said leading the doctor over to the seats as Uhura arrived with the food. As they ate McCoy filled them in on the city he grew up in.

Five minutes before departure Rhymer arrived, on the run.

"Sorry, everyone started worrying when they realized you weren't there so it took longer to get back out. Admiral Archer had to make an announcement that you and Cmdr Spock had some kind of flu, Captain, and the Lieutenant had severely sprained her ankle trying to get both of you comfortable before the Doctor arrived. All three of you are under Dr McCoy's capable care and not to be disturbed." Rhymer informed them with a grin, causing the others to roll their eyes.

"You two got nothing to worry about, if I can get Jim on the _Enterprise_ I'm sure I can make you two look suitably pale if we need to, Uhura I think I can find you some crutches when we get back." Bones said thoughtfully looking at his 'patients', as their flight was called, finding his first real smile since Mrs. Parker's call in their reactions

"Don't even think it Bones." Jim told him as they boarded.

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><p><strong>AN:**Yes Pike can walk but not fast or run so it's simpler for him to use a wheelchair for distances like between his home and office, but for short distances he's fine or uses a cane. McCoy and the other Doctors weren't able to totally reverse the damage to his spinal cord but he's about 90-95% back to normal.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I'm Glad to say that I'M BAAAAK! Thank you SO much to bookdragon01 for beta-ing this for me. As always I only own the plot and the characters that no one recognizes. Yes that means I have to claim Victor, unfortunately. ;)

**A/N 2:** I am back more or less this is just a fix and minor edit on this chapter. I finally got part of McCoy's rant at Jocelyn that's been bugging me for forever to make a bit more sense. YES there will be a new chapter here shortly as well as a new one for Meetings. I've almost finished tweaking chapter 21 and just need to get Kirk to stand still long enough to finish 22. lol I will put the reason for the lack of updates in the notes for both new chapters.

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><p>Three and a half hours later they stepped off the shuttle and in to the heat and humidity of Atlanta. McCoy led the way to rent a ground car and drove them to one of the rebuilt late 20th century style neighborhoods.<p>

"There it is everyone." He said as they passed a large home in the center of the block about fifteen feet back from the street.

"It's beautiful." Uhura commented.

'Mrs. Parker is still on her porch I see." Rhymer said as they passed.

McCoy took a long look at the house before turning the corner. He drove for another couple of blocks then pulled over.

"So how are we goin' to do this?" McCoy asked.

"I figured we'd take the information to the police station and if there are any delays, Uhura can stay and the rest of us will get Joanna and meet her there." Jim threw out.

"What?! So that's how I'm supposed to help?" she demanded glaring at Jim.

"Look at it this way we kinda have a time limit here, not knowing how badly she's hurt. If it looks like it's going to take forever to get in to see the Captain, you can let them know what is going on while we're getting Joanna. If things don't go according to plan we're gonna need you to bring the cavalry. I don't know what we're going up against Uhura, and I don't want anyone else hurt if I can help it. And if they need to ask Joanna any questions we might need you there if Bones can't be and it'll be easier if they already know you." Jim explained to her.

"Ok, Kirk but don't forget to call alright." She said realizing the sense in what he said. "Ok Len how do we get to the station?"

"The nearest precinct is six blocks over." Bones said pulling back onto the street.

Ten minutes later they entered the precinct and followed Jim to the front desk.

"We need to see the Captain, which way to the office?" he asked the Sergeant.

"Down that hall third door on the left, Sir." The Sergeant replied glancing up and recognizing the look of someone used to being in charge in Jim's attitude.

"Thanks." Jim replied leading the others to the indicated door. Inside was an outer office, and the department secretary; a slightly built man in this thirties with an oily attitude.

"Can I help you?" he asked looking up as they entered.

"Yes we need to see the Captain immediately on an urgent matter." Rhymer said stepping up to the desk as Jim stepped back and let him take over. "I'm Lt Cmdr Rhymer of Starfleet JAG we are here to deliver some important evidence to your Captain and request the assistance of the APD. I believe that Adm. Pike called roughly an hour ago to let you know to expect us." Rhymer told him handing over his ID.

"Well you can't Capt Logan isn't here right now and I've got no clue when she'll be back cause she's got court today." Was the secretary's disinterested reply.

"You sure of that? Cause the Sergeant at the desk would have told us that when we asked for directions." McCoy half snarled.

"I have no clue. But you aren't getting in to see her anyway without an appointment." The secretary replied bringing up a calendar. "Let see there's an opening next week at four PM if you want it."

At the muted snarl from McCoy Jim nodded at Uhura. "That's alright, Lt Uhura will wait here. We have another errand that can't wait on you to get your head out of your ass." Jim snapped as he led the others to the door.

"Good luck." Uhura whispered as Rhymer handed her their evidence.

"You too. Make sure you get in to see this Captain Logan. Do whatever you have to." Jim told her as they left.

"So Jim, how are the rest of us gonna to do this?" Bones asked on the way back.

"Well we need you and the Lt Cmdr at the door. I figured you two and Spock take it, I'll stand back up." he explained. "You need the best for this part and that's not me. Yeah I could probably either charm or force my way through but that might cause more problems in the long run."

McCoy and Spock were surprised to hear their captain say that he wasn't capable of something, but they both realized he was telling the truth; logic and following the letter of the law would get them farther than a Jim Kirk stunt.

"Ok here we are." Bones murmured pulling into a space at the curb. They got out and looked around, sizing things up. They saw Mrs. Parker sitting on her porch apparently knitting, and Jim noticed the phaser on the table at her elbow.

"She knows how to use that thing, right?"He whispered to Bones.

"She's a crack shot Jim. You bet she does." He whispered back waving at her.

Then McCoy, Rhymer and Spock headed up the walk leaving Jim leaning against the car, arms crossed over his chest eyes fixed worriedly on his friends.

McCoy took a deep breath as they reached the door. After a quick glance at his companions he rang the bell. A couple of minutes later it was opened by Jocelyn. When she saw who was there her face froze.

"What the hell are you doin' here Leonard? I thought that I'd made myself very clear that you were not welcome at this house." She demanded icily.

"Hello Jocelyn. As to what I'm doin' here I'm here to pick Jo up for my two weeks of shore leave." He replied stiffly keeping his anger in check.

"No you are not! The court gave me custody of her and control over your visits. You never cleared pickin' her up early with me so she's not going. And who are these two?" Jocelyn demanded staring down her nose at Spock and looking uneasily at Rhymer.

"Lt Cmdr J. Rhymer, from Starfleet Judge Advocate General, and this is Cmdr Spock, First Officer of the _Enterprise_." Rhymer performed the introductions quickly, none of them missed the ill-disguised contempt for Spock or the flash of fear at hearing Rhymer was a lawyer.

"I'm here to inform you that your divorce is being appealed on the grounds of official misconduct and fraud by the officers of the court involved as well as yourself." Rhymer said formally, handing over a thick legal document.

"What? No there has to be some mistake. I'm a never stir-" she trailed off as Rhymer continued.

"Also you are here by ordered to release your daughter to her father immediately. With the grounds that we have for lodging the appeal of the main issues of your divorce, your custody arrangements are also suspended and will be subject to strict review. But since you have denied Dr. McCoy all contact with his daughter for a period of five months, he is within his rights to demand to see her, with or without the appeal." He said handing over several other sheets of paper. Jocelyn glanced through them in disbelief.

"What are you talkin' about? I am not handin' her over to a drunk, lyin' bastard that only cares for himself" she exclaimed.

"Mrs. McCoy, I believe you are stating an erroneous, illogical conclusion concerning the Doctor's habits. Over the last two years I have never heard of nor seen him even remotely the worse for drink whether or not there was even the slightest possibility of being called upon as a physician." Spock coolly informed her. "So your statement of his being an alcoholic is both baseless and stated without full knowledge of the facts. Also I have on numerous occasions seen him put his own life on the line to save both members of the crew and any others placed in his care, with no thought to his own safety or wellbeing. I also know him to be truthful to the point of tactlessness. So there again your statement is highly illogical." Spock said, doing his best to imitate both his father's attitude and manner of using polite insults; and faintly heard Jim snicker behind them as Jocelyn huffed in anger.

"Mrs. McCoy, no doubt you'd rather keep her locked up in a room with a black eye, split lip and who knows what other injuries. Isn't that right?" Rhymer added annoyed by her attitude.

Jocelyn looked shocked at that accusation. "I have no clue what you're talkin' about. Yes Jo is in trouble for tryin' to run away, my fiancé caught her Thursday while I was out, but I assure you she is no more injured than I am." She replied haughtily.

"Jocelyn, go get Jo, now. I'm not the same man you practically ran out of town five years ago and I don't think you understand just who you're dealin' with now."McCoy said his voice taking on the growl that preceded one of his rants.

"Oh really?" Jocelyn scoffed at him.

"I earned the spot of CMO on the _Enterprise_ the hard way when the original CMO was killed over Vulcan, and spent the next ten days seein' more injured than I ever saw in one place, and short on everything else. I've spent the last two years as the CMO of the_ Enterprise_, and I hope to hell you realize what that means. It means that you aren't just facin' me you've got the whole damn ship plus a good part of the Admiralty to convince that I'm what your Daddy and your own twisted mind have convinced you that I am. Those are folks you and your Daddy can't buy, Jocelyn, most of them see me every damn day or know enough about me form the reports we send. So don't think you can push me around anymore. You made sure as hell that you came out smellin' like a damn rose last time with your 'friends in high places', but I guarantee you won't this time."McCoy snarled letting her see the unyielding resolve to do whatever it took, that saved so many lives after a battle.

Jocelyn stepped back frightened by the transformation before her; the Leonard McCoy she'd married was a dedicated doctor and gentleman, he wasn't the ruthless man in front of her. She didn't know what to do and Victor wouldn't be home for half an hour yet.

"Mrs. McCoy there have been reports that your daughter has the injuries Cmdr Rhymer told you about and it would be in your best interest to cooperate. If you refuse to we are in place to involve the Atlanta Police to force you to comply. And I can promise you that they won't be as courteous." Spock told her a hard edge barely detectable in his voice.

She glanced around frantically looking for a way out from under the two hostile gazes and one coolly assessing one, before admitting defeat, but they'd see that there was nothing wrong with Joanna and then they'd leave and it would all go back to normal, she'd have her daughter and Leonard's money and be planning her dream wedding.

"Keys in the door" was all she said, looking at the floor of the porch.

She saw Leonard start to move when a new voice said "Spock take watch."

She looked up sharply to see a younger man in a leather jacket and jeans, tall, blonde, mid to late 20s she thought with the brightest, coldest blue eyes she'd ever seen walking towards them, as the Cmdr headed towards the road. For some reason he looked vaguely familiar.

"I'll get her, you stay here and help Spock keep an eye on things" he said as he ducked passed her like she had something contagious.

Feeling very conspicuous, she started nervously looking through the papers in her hand again when she heard the voice of the fourth man from inside. "Shit! Sonuva-! Goddamnit!" followed by faint footsteps and some unintelligible sounds. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Leonard stiffen at the sounds, one hand going nervously to his side.

'Lookin' for a drink, no doubt,' she thought in satisfaction. She was shocked when he stopped and muttered something that sounded like: "In the damn med kit" when his hand met air instead of whatever he'd reached for. But the shouting from upstairs had her worried now. It shouldn't have taken this long to let Joanna out of the room and bring her down stairs.

Then they heard the sound of someone slowly coming down the stairs. She gasped when she saw that the stranger was carrying Joanna carefully in his arms, and when they got into the light from the door, the bruises on her arm stood out vividly.

As they reached the foot of the steps she could hear him talking to her softly, chin close to her ear, but couldn't make out the words. But she understood the glare he sent her; the rage in it had her moving back out of his way.

"JoJo its ok kiddo, I got you, and your Dad's just outside. I'll give you to him, no one else without your say so." She heard him say softly as they stepped out of the house, Leonard was there seconds later.

"Jo, Darlin' I got ya" he murmured laying a hand carefully on her shoulder, as she raised her head to look at him.

"Daddy?" she whispered.

"Yeah Darlin' Girl, I got you sweetheart," he told her a catch in his voice, gently brushing his hand through her hair as he tipped her head against his chest.

"Set her down Jim. Spock, get the damn med kit outta the car." He ordered for a moment switching to the brisk no nonsense doctor, as Jim carefully sat in one of the rockers on the porch with Joanna in his lap.

Hearing Leonard call the man Jim made Jocelyn start; as she realized that this was the same 'kid' that she'd seen a few times on the com with Leonard. Jim Kirk was what Joanna had said his name was; then it clicked Jim Kirk was Capt James T Kirk of the _Enterprise_. Then she got a good look at Joanna as Leonard moved to take the med kit and didn't want to believe that her daughter was sitting there, injured and she hadn't known about it. She wanted to go over but a look at the men's faces stopped her cold.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thank you once again to bookdragon01 for beta-ing this. Nope still don't own any of our favorite characters.

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><p>Jim hurried into the house following the directions Bones had given them on the shuttle. His instincts were going crazy, and he didn't want Bones to be the first one to find her if they were right, but he hoped to hell they weren't.<p>

Like she'd said the key was in the lock, as he turned it he thought he heard a whimper from inside and hoped that meant things weren't too bad. When he opened the door though he knew that his instincts had been right; Joanna was curled up in a ball under the window as far from the door as possible.

"JoJo?" he called softly trying not to scare her. Her head came up and he couldn't stop the words even if he'd tried, it was like suddenly being in his Mom's shoes fourteen years ago.

"Shit! Sonuva-! Goddamnit!" he swore loudly as he crossed the room. Her left eye was black from the top of her eyebrow to past her cheek bone, and her lower lip badly split. A hand shaped bruise covered her upper right arm with more on her left likely from trying to block some of the blows. He couldn't tell about the rest of her because of her clothes but he'd be willing to bet that there were more.

"U-Uncle Jim?" she whispered, squinting at him as he dropped down beside her.

"Yeah, it's me JoJo. We came to get you Kiddo. Can you get up?" he said with a forced smile while swallowing down the lump in his throat.

"I-I'm not sure Uncle Jim. My ankle, and ribs hurt pretty bad, and my head feels funny, like I'm spinnin'." She said barely above a whisper.

Up close her eyes were odd, but Jim wasn't sure if it was the black eye that was making it look that way or if it was something to do with her head that was making her squint. But her short, choppy breathing wasn't right, he did know that. As he carefully scooped her up in his arms, she whimpered a little at the movement, but settled quickly against him, hiding her face in his neck and clutching a handful of his shirt over his heart.

"JoJo, do you need to ah make a pit-stop before we go?" he asked a bit hesitantly.

"No, but I'm really thirsty." her whisper was muffled slightly against his neck but understandable, as they left the room and headed down the hall to the bathroom. With some careful maneuvering they managed to get her a drink without shifting her too much and headed for the stairs.

"My bags. Please don't leave them." She said as he started down her voice a bit stronger.

"After your Dad checks you out I'll go back up and get them ok? We both want to make sure your ok. Spock and Uhura came with us. Spock's outside and Uhura's at the police station to make sure that we got back with you safe. We also have a lawyer with us named Rhymer, he's a friend of Admiral Pike, and he's trying to fix a few things for your Dad so he can see you when he wants, not just when you mom lets him. We'll get you outta here as soon as we can." he murmured to her as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Joanna shifted her head a bit and saw her mother standing outside the door. She burrowed back into Jim's neck "I want Daddy." she whispered, gripping his shirt tighter.

He sent a furious glare at Jocelyn and watched with satisfaction as she hastily backed up. "JoJo, it's ok Kiddo, I've got you and your Dad's just outside. I'll give you to him before I get your bags, no one else without your say so." He assured the child he held, no trace of his fury in the soft tone, as he stepped outside. Bones was there almost before he finished speaking.

"Jo, Darlin' I got ya" he murmured laying a hand carefully on her shoulder, as she raised her head to look at him.

"Daddy." she tried to smile but her face hurt too much.

"Yeah Darlin' Girl, I got ya sweet heart." He told her, his voice cracking, running his hand through her hair. He'd always done that when she was scared. He knew he couldn't move her too much not knowing what other injuries she had so he unwillingly settled for gently tipping her head against his chest, instead of taking her from Jim like he wanted.

"Jim, set her down. Spock, get the damn med bag outta the car." He ordered for the moment hiding behind his training, as Jim carefully sat in one of the rockers on the porch with Joanna in his lap.

He began visually cataloguing Joanna's injuries as Spock hurried over with the bag of medical supplies they never seemed to be without when they left the ship, especially if Jim was with them.

Joanna squinted at Spock as he reached them. "Hi, you must be Mr. Spock." she said softly.

Spock looked surprised for a second. "Hello Joanna." He replied. "I am afraid that I cannot stop to talk with you at the moment but I will do so as soon as there is time." He told her gently and hurried back towards the road. He'd seen a lot of disturbing things but nothing had prepared him for the shot of anger at the sight of her bruises and the echoes of her pain he could feel, it was illogical but in a way understandable, as was the need to distance himself from one of those responsible for his own peace of mind.

"Does he always talk like that Uncle Jim?" she asked softly laying her head back on Jim's shoulder as her father began running a tricorder over her, both men nodded.

"Yes, he's actually better than he was when we met. Bones; check her ribs she said they hurt, and she's dizzy between those and her ankle are why I was carrying her." Jim said softly.

"I will, just let me get there will you." He snapped without his usual heat.

As McCoy continued, Jim noticed his friend's expression getting darker at every new injury the tricorder found, though he kept up a good front for Joanna. Jim caught his eye as he put the tricorder down, and the two shared a look of mutual fury over Joanna's head at the circumstances.

As soon as McCoy was finished with the scan he gently gave her a hypo for the pain, carefully wrapped her ribs, thankful they were only bruised, and her ankle, that was more superficial but it never hurt to be safe.

He sat back repacking everything, then carefully slid her out of Jim's lap. "C'mer Darlin'" he said gathering her into his arms as if he'd never let her go. Jo wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around him burying her face in his neck, finally relaxing at the familiar smells of antiseptics and bourbon that always surrounded him.

"I love you Daddy." She whispered brokenly beginning to cry. Bones tightened his grip carefully.

"I love you too my darlin' girl, I'm not lettin' you go again." He whispered back, his voice rough with emotion.

As she stopped crying a few minutes later, he pressed a kiss to her fore head and motioned Rhymer over as Jim handed her a tissue.

"Darlin' this is Lt Cmdr Rhymer. Can I get you to stay with him for a couple of minutes so Uncle Jim and I can talk to your Mama?" she studied Rhymer a moment, and nodded.

"Ok Daddy." She whispered back.

"That's my girl." McCoy said as he and Jim stood, he carefully placed her in the rocker with another kiss on her forehead; then crossed the porch to where Jocelyn was standing seemingly in shock.

"So she's as uninjured as you are, Jocelyn?" McCoy demanded furiously, keeping his voice as low as he could manage. "She should have been in the hospital last night. Bruised ribs, multiple other bruises, black eye, strained ankle, slightly dehydrated, goose egg the size of half a lemon, and a borderline level 2 concussion! Did you even look at her yesterday or just take that bastard's word that she was fine?" He had the satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen in horror, at the list of injuries; even though a small, still in control part of his mind realized that Jocelyn wasn't acting, she really hadn't known Joanna was hurt; but he was too furious to care at the moment.

"This wasn't the first time either I'd bet, was it, that he 'disciplined' her, or whatever you call it, while you were gone?" Jim growled fighting to keep his voice down, madder than Bones had ever seen him outside a fight to save the rest of the crew. "She's 10, how the hell is a child supposed to defend themselves against a full grown man? They can't, it's that simple. What were you gonna do, wait till she died in there to go see if she had food or water, or let her out to use the bathroom? First thing she asked for after I got her out of there was for a drink. The way she drank she hadn't had any in too long." As Jim finished talking McCoy glanced at him and realized that he'd only seen that fire in his friend's eyes once before, against Nero, and then it hit him; for Jim this was as personal as it was for him.

"Jo is comin' with us and as far as I'm concerned Jocelyn if she ever contacts you, you can consider yourself lucky. As for the appeal I'm goin' ahead, and this time it'll be Starfleet that'll judge the case, not your 'friends' at the courthouse. The only things I'm takin' from this marriage are Jo and what should have been mine all along." McCoy told her his voice soft enough that Jo wouldn't hear clearly, but his anger, and contempt for his ex-wife more than plain. "Jim can you get Jo's stuff?" Bones requested never taking his eyes off Jocelyn.

"You got it Bones." Jim responded not really wanting to hear what else his friend might have to say to his ex-wife.

He paused beside Joanna, "Kiddo what do you want me to bring?" he asked mentally cringing at the thought of packing for her.

"The duffel under the bed, and my backpack. Th-that's why I'm like this; he caught me packin' my backpack for the trip with y'all. Can ya get me another drink Uncle Jim?" she asked.

"Sure JoJo, be right back." He hurried to the kitchen and came back with a large glass of water. "Sip on that JoJo. Your Dad will tell you the same thing." He smiled slightly, letting it fall as he turned away and went to get Joanna's bags.

At least everything was still there, there were some things on the bed that he put in her back pack and then added the battered stuffed bear on the pillow on impulse. Holding the duffel in one hand, backpack over his shoulder, he took a quick look around to make sure there wasn't anything else that looked like it should go. When he saw the quilt lying on the floor, it reminded him of the one that his Grandma Kirk had made him so he grabbed it too. If nothing else it would help keep her warm.

As he came outside, Bones had Joanna on his lap again talking to Rhymer; Jocelyn was sitting at the other end of the porch with her head in her hands, Spock was still near the car watching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Captain, Lt Uhura informed me, while you were retrieving Joanna that the police will be here shortly as she has had an unexplained difficulty with them. May I help you with those?" Spock said eyeing the bags and blanket.

"Pop the trunk please, Spock. That's about all for right now. Did she say what kind of difficulty?" Jim replied as his friend opened the door and pulled the trunk release. "Thanks, keep your ears open, I saw the bastard's schedule in the kitchen, and he should be getting off right about now. It could end up being a race here, I don't know whether to hope the cops win or not, I'd love a shot at the guy for what he did to her." He said as he loaded the bags and quilt in the trunk, and took the bear out of her back pack.

"I believe I understand the feeling Jim. And the Lieutenant only said that she was delayed in getting in to see the Captain." Jim looked closer at Spock and could see the banked anger in his eyes and nodded.

"I'm going to talk to Mrs. Parker for a minute. I'll be right back." Jim said taking off at a jog, tucking the bear under his arm.

"Welcome Captain. What can I do for you?" Mrs. Parker asked standing up with a slightly worried smile as Jim reached the edge of her porch.

"Just came to thank you for calling Bones this morning. What you saw was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. She's slightly dehydrated, has a concussion, and a lot of bruises. But we'll take care of her. I wanted to ask what he drives." Jim asked her glancing at the street.

"A silver and black Harley motorcycle, old one too." She replied. "I think that Jocelyn bought it for him. Why do you call Lenny Bones?"

"I started calling him that when we met on the way to The Academy. He claimed that was all he had left, it stuck, he got his revenge in a way, calls me Kid every chance he has. Excuse me, got to let them know." Jim said with a small wave, heading back to Spock.

"What did you learn Captain?" Spock asked as soon as Jim reached him.

"He drives an old silver and black Harley; she also thinks Jocelyn bought it for him. We need to get Joanna out of here, fast." He said as they headed for the house.

"Here JoJo I uh thought you might want this." Jim said sheepishly handing her the bear.

"Thanks Uncle Jim." She said hugging it as Jim and her Dad stepped a few feet away.

"Bones we need to get her out of here before he gets home." Jim said quietly.

"How long do we have?" McCoy asked sensing Jim's urgency.

"Not long. Ten minutes or so from the address on the schedule, and he was supposed to get off at 2:00 and its 2:05. And I don't think we want her in the middle if all hell breaks loose." Jim explained, as Spock's communicator beeped.

"Spock."

"_We're about to leave the station, so start loading up. We should be there in less than ten." _

"Acknowledged, Lt. make sure the officers know that the Doctor is anxious for Joanna to seek further medical treatment, once we leave."

"_How badly is she hurt?"_ Uhura asked her worry plain.

"She has a serious concussion and multiple contusions. But she is awake and responsive." Spock reported.

"_I'll pass that on. See you soon. Uhura out." _

"That's good news. C'mon Jo lets go tell Mrs. P goodbye, then we'll pick up Uhura and, get you checked out a bit better. After that we'll see about some food. How's that sound?" McCoy said scooping Joanna up.

"Good Daddy. I'm gonna miss Mrs. P though." Joanna said quietly as they crossed the lawn.

"I know ya will Jo, but you can comm. her if you want to."McCoy told her. She looked up still squinting.

"Really?"

"Yeah as long as it's not the middle of the night or anythin'." he assured her.

As they reached the porch, Jim thought that he heard the rumble of an antique motorcycle, but it was so briefly that he wasn't sure.

Mrs. Parker came down to greet them. "I wish this could have been under better circumstances but, it's good to see you Lenny. I know you have to go but will you at least give me a quick introduction to your friends?" she asked smiling at them.

"I wish it was too. I think you already met my friend and Captain, Jim Kirk. The pointy eared one is Cmdr Spock our First Officer and a good friend, and Lt Cmdr Rhymer from Starfleet JAG, who's helpin' sort this mess out." Bones ignored the raised eyebrow Spock shot him at the introduction. "Lt Uhura is on her way with the police right now. I hate to run off like this but we need to get Jo looked at a bit better than I can with a field tricorder." He apologized as she shook hands with them and hugged him and Jo one last time.

"Don't even think about it you do what you have to. Take care all of you." She scolded with a smile.

"Bye Mrs. P I'll comm. you when I can." Jo promised.

"You do that Honey. Take care all of you." Mrs. Parker said.

"We will." McCoy assured her.

With that they hurried back to the car. Jim turned to follow but Mrs. Parker stopped him with a hand on his sleeve.

"Thank you for looking after him, these last few years. He's really needed you and the Cmdr." She said softly.

"You're welcome and I think we've needed him just as much. He's the closest thing to a brother I've had in years." Jim told her, with a real smile as he turned to join the others at the car.

Sudden motion in the corner of Jim's eye made him turn, all he saw was a man running from behind the house

"Incoming!" he yelled already running as the word left his mouth.

McCoy jerked to a stop and automatically turned to shield Jo against the rear fender curling his body around her as Spock and Rhymer stepped in front of them protectively. The stranger managed to bowl Rhymer over with an elbow to the stomach, and stagger Spock with a full body check. At the sound of a falling body McCoy braced himself for whatever would happen next, there wasn't anything he could do except shield Joanna from the attack, she was more important. With and almost sixth sense he curled further around his daughter, training and instinct making him brace for the blow he knew was coming.

The man started to swing at McCoy and Joanna as Jim reached them. He threw his whole weight into a flying tackle, shoulder first into the stranger's stomach. It felt a bit like hitting a brick wall to Jim as they hit the ground, but the stranger got the worst of it, as his breath left his body in a loud rush from the impacts.

Jim immediately rolled off and stood next to Spock as Rhymer lay on the ground struggling to get his own breath back.

"Bones get in the car!" he barked never taking his eyes off their attacker, as McCoy swiftly turned to see what had happened

"Damnit Jim! Be careful, I already got enough to worry about today." McCoy replied as he got the door open and gently placed Joanna inside. He was torn between staying to help Jim and the need to get Joanna to safety, as he opened the driver's door watching the scene in front of him.

"I will Bones." Jim replied as the stranger started to sit up, shaking his head to clear it he focused on Spock's and Rhymer's uniforms.

"It would be illogical to continue your attempts to pass us. We will be forced to detain you until the authorities arrive in any means necessary" Spock informed him coldly bringing his focus back to them. Jim felt a shiver run down his spine at his friend's cold matter of fact tone; it always made him think of death for some reason.

After a good look at them he chuckled slightly, still getting his breath back and stood. Jim recognized him from the images Rhymer had put together, Victor Donovan. He was about McCoy's age, 6'4" and at least 260 lbs black hair and grey eyes.

"You ain't gonna stop me. Besides I got y'all on kidnappin'." Victor sneered either not noticing or caring that Jim and Spock were ready for him this time.

"Bones; don't worry about us, get Joanna out of here, and get to Uhura. Go! That's an order Doctor!" Jim barked adding the last before his friend could raise objections.

"Aye Captain." He replied sullenly getting in and starting the engine, Jim hardly ever used that tone; it was the hard commanding tone that no one could or dared argue with because it meant following orders was the only way out.

Victor started laughing, "Captain? There's no way you're a Captain, boy."

"And just how would you know what I am?" Jim shot back, fists tightening.

"No one would trust a punk like you with a rowboat, let alone a starship no matter what crazy costumes you're wearin'." Victor said taking a step closer as they heard the car start up and pull away. "The bastard Joss was married to is more likely to be a captain than you, punk." He sneered.

"Do you wanna bet on that, _Victor_? Do you really wanna bet that Spock and I aren't a Starfleet Captain and First Officer, and Dr McCoy didn't just drive away with his daughter?" Jim said; his voice dropping to a soft, dangerous tone.

"That's right cause it wasn't; you don't know the first thing about ships, you or that phony pointy eared bastard." Victor said taking another step forward. Jim's eyes were starting to blaze with fury.

"I know a lot of things, _Victor._ Like I know you think you're tuff, taking on a 10 year old girl. I also know you're nothing but a bully and a coward. How are you at taking on someone your own size who can fight back? Or are you too chicken? " Jim replied his voice taking on the mocking tone Spock first heard on the bridge two years before and seemed calculated to infuriate his Captain's opponent.

"I'm more than man enough to take down a stuck up punk kid like you and that fake freak next to you, everyone knows Vulcans don't fight." Victor snarled.

"You wouldn't stand a chance, against Spock; and even less of a one against me you fucking bastard." Jim said, his voice going hard and angry, eyes blazing at the man in front of him. Spock took a cautious step to the right both to give Jim more room and because he could feel the fury surrounding the younger man growing with each taunt from his opponent.

"I'm gonna enjoy this, cause you're the one that don't stand a chance!" Was Victors reply as he threw a right at Jim's head.

Jim shifted out of the way at the last second so the blow went past his ear. Victor seemed surprised that he'd missed and swung with his left, again Jim shifted out of range. Before Victor could try again Jim threw a right hook into his opponents jaw. Victor took a step back in shock, as Jim followed up with a rapid left cross and a right to the nose. They all heard the crunch of bone as Victor's nose broke and blood poured down his face. Victor threw another punch only to miss again as the younger man dodged. Jim threw a right cross at his jaw, knocking Victor back another step, and pressed his advantage in speed with a rapid series of blows and kicks that he'd learned at the Academy, sparing Sulu, Spock and various other crew members as well as in various bar fights over the years. Any serious blow from Victor that he couldn't outright dodge was blocked or knocked off target by a powerful sweep of Jim's arms, forcing another opening at the larger man's body.

An unblocked blow to Jim's left side made him step back slightly and Victor tried a wild haymaker that got lucky, clipping Jim's right ear as he tried to duck. It was enough to stagger him as he shook his head to clear it. But as Victor moved in to try for an easy shot, Jim surprised him with a right upper cut with all his strength behind it, and watched with a bit of pride as Victor's head snapped back as he was knocked to his full height for a moment before he staggered back a couple steps shaking his head. They watched him warily as he wobbled a bit before trying, drunkenly, to take a step forward, stumbling to one knee.

"I'll tell you something before I hand you over to the cops. You just pissed off the command crew of the wrong damn starship, Victor. Dr McCoy's appealing the divorce settlement, and filing for full custody of Joanna. And since Starfleet will be trying the case you and you little sugar mama there will be out on your asses before you know it. I promise you that." Jim held his opponent's slightly foggy stare, his own eyes still blazing, as he made that promise.

As the sound of sirens reached them, Jim glanced at Spock and Rhymer, checking on them as Rhymer stood, hand still pressed to his stomach.

As Jim's attention shifted, Victor let out a roar and slammed into him, sending them both to the ground hard. Jim saw stars, as his head struck the ground, stunned for a moment, and Victor's hands were around his throat, before he could react.

Spock was frozen for half a second at the suddenness of the attack, then his own training kicked in and he reached for the nerves at the point where Victor's neck and shoulder joined. All it took was a fast squeeze and Victor dropped unconscious, over Jim. Jocelyn screamed in shock from the porch as Spock with Rhymer's help quickly pulled his limp body off Jim and dropped him unceremoniously on the grass.

"Mrs. Parker, may I borrow your phaser?" Rhymer called, still slightly winded, as Spock knelt by Jim who rolled onto his right elbow coughing and gasping for breath, left hand gingerly rubbing his throat.

"Are you alright Jim?" Spock asked, tentatively laying a hand on his shoulder. Jim looked up at him as a smirk crossed his face.

"Yeah, - I just forgot how- awful getting chocked- is. It's been- two years since- anyone tried to." Jim said with a hoarse chuckle. Seeing the remorse in Spock's eyes he sat up, gripping Spock's forearm. "I don't mean you Spock. This- brought back Nero's attempt not -yours. You -only used one hand" he finished with a grin and watched Spock nod and relax.

"I did not think I needed more than one at the time," Spock said making Jim chuckle again as the cops and Uhura arrived, followed by Bones and Joanna.

* * *

><p>As he pulled away from the curb McCoy shot one last glance back at his friends in the rearview mirror before grabbing his communicator.<p>

"McCoy to Uhura come in damnit."

"_Uhura, what's going on Doctor?" _she answered sounding worried.

"Tell damn cops to get the lead outta their asses and get to the house!" He snapped into the device. "Jim ordered me to take Jo and get out cause all hell was breakin' lose."

"_What happened?" _Uhura demanded as a female voice in the background snapped an order.

"The bastard showed up as we were leavin'. He took out Rhymer, knocked Spock around, then tried to attack Jo and me before Jim stopped him." He growled in reply. "Where the hell are you?"

"_We're hitting the sirens now, Len. ETA in two."_ she replied worry more pronounced in her voice as McCoy spotted the first of five cars turning the corner a block ahead.

"I'm pullin' over and followin' you back." McCoy told her as the cars raced by and he pulled a u-turn to follow them back, praying that Jim, Spock and Rhymer were alright though he knew Jim could hold his own in a fight.

Uhura was out of the car ahead of the officers as Spock helped Jim up.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she reached them, worriedly laying a hand on their arms as she saw Jim's neck.

"Yeah I'm fine; slightly sore ribs, headache, a few bruises, busted knuckles and sore throat." he paused rubbing his neck again. "Rhymer got the wind knocked out of him and I don't think Spock actually got hit at all, just body checked." Jim told her as the officers reached them.

"I believe you will want to restrain him before he awakens." Spock advised the officers who were hovering uncertainly over Victor. "I am not entirely sure when he will regain consciousness, as I have not performed the maneuver on so large a human opponent. It has required as long as 90 minutes on occasion but I am uncertain if that will be the case." The officers were staring at Spock like he'd grown another head, making Jim start laughing.

"Excuse me young man but what are you findin' so funny?" asked the officer in charge as she edged through the group. She was probably close to Pike's age, graying brown hair and no nonsense hazel eyes.

"Sorry Ma'am, just a reaction to the fight."Jim told her, a bit sheepishly, swallowing the rest of his laughter and stiffening as Victor began to moan, and tried to sit up.

"I'm Capt. Logan. And you are? Get some cuffs on him" she snapped at the other officers and then looked expectantly at Jim, Spock, and Rhymer. Jim could hear Bones in the street yelling at one of the officers.

"Captain, if you would, please let Dr McCoy and his daughter through. It'll be easier to explain; since they're the reason we're here," Jim asked reasonably, shifting to mirror Spock's parade rest stance as much as his ribs would allow. The Captain motioned for her men to let the Doctor and Joanna through. McCoy hurried over, still holding Joanna, who had the med bag on her lap.

"Jim, what the hell have you done to yourself now?" he asked semi-rhetorically, as he looked him over carefully. Jim chuckled watching Uhura pull her recorder out and start it from the corner of his eye.

"Don't worry Bones, every thing's minor even for me." He turned to Captain Logan, waiting patiently by Spock, and cleared his throat. "Capt Logan, I'm Captain James T Kirk of the USS _Enterprise_, my First Officer Cmdr Spock, and CMO Dr. Leonard McCoy, and his daughter Joanna, also Lt Cmdr Rhymer of Starfleet JAG, and you've met my Communications Officer Lt Nyota Uhura. We came down here today because we found out that Joanna was injured and not receiving proper medical care. Dr. McCoy has filed an appeal on his divorce with Starfleet, and the papers were to be delivered on Monday I believe along with the paperwork for the Doctor to pick Joanna up immediately. We moved it up to today for reasons of her safety," Jim explained formally watching the Captain as she took in Joanna's appearance gravely. He just managed to suppress a smirk at the look of horror on Victor's face at the introduction.

"And you didn't think to inform me beforehand?" Captain Logan snapped at Jim.

"We learned of her condition this morning, at approximately 0630 Pacific Time, and departed immediately after collecting Lt Cmdr Rhymer and informing Admirals Archer and Pike of the situation. Adm. Pike informed us before we left that he would be getting in contact with you to expect our arrival. In addition, we left Lt Uhura at your headquarters over an hour ago to brief you on any particulars of our mission that the Admiral might have omitted as well as hand over the necessary documentation. That should have been more than sufficient to assess the data and be prepared if we required your assistance," Spock said in a slightly puzzled tone of voice, one eyebrow raised.

"Unfortunately it wasn't, Commander, Captains; because the ba- secretary in the office wouldn't let me in to pass on the information for over forty-five minutes," Uhura explained grimly. "He kept saying that you weren't to be disturbed by and I quote: matters that were unimportant to the APD and could be better handled by the _proper _authorities, and that I couldn't be in Starfleet because they wouldn't let a _distraction_ like me on board, unquote, Captain," Uhura explained frustration and anger clearly evident to the others. "Commander Rhymer told him that we had important information and I repeatedly told him that the APD was needed to arrest an abuser and or to secure a Starfleet officer's property until proper Starfleet personnel could arrive. He kept repeating himself until I created a distraction and snuck in. Yes Captain I took a page out of your book. If I haven't said so before thank you for the lessons, they do come in handy." She finished shooting Jim a half exasperated half pleased look.

Capt Logan was scowling at the ground in front of her boots. Finally she looked up at Uhura "My apologies Captain, Lieutenant. Officer Gerrard will be reprimanded for this. It's not the first time he's taken his job past the point of common sense. What did you mean about taking a page from your Captain's book Lieutenant? And why are you allowing such free speech Captain Kirk?"

Jim chuckled exchanging a look with Uhura. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors about the reputation I had at the Academy for getting into and out of places I technically shouldn't be. Also we, Lt Uhura, Dr. McCoy and I, were classmates at the Academy as well as the Doctor and I being roommates,"Jim explained with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Besides you can't really argue with your CMO." Capt Logan nodded, she could understand the friendships that had been cemented in the kind of ordeal they'd been through two years ago; she'd seen it before in much less dire situations

"Alright now can you explain what your First Officer was saying as I walked up?" She looked at Spock waiting for him to explain.

"Captain Logan, there is a technique among Vulcans that will render the victim unconscious for a time without harming them. There is a set of nerves at the base of the neck that when pinched in the correct manner accomplishes this. When Mr. Donovan attacked the Captain the second time I had the opening to use it. Though, as you heard me say, I am unused to subduing large humans in this manner, I have on several occasions used it on other humanoid races, but they are also physically much stronger than humans, so I thought it unwise to use the same pressure that I would on a Klingon or Romulan of the same size. I used the same force that I would to render a human of the same size as Dr. McCoy or the Captain unconscious. As you can see it did not work for more than seven minutes but it did allow for his restraint and prevented him from strangling the Captain." Spock explained formally.

"Yeah it just gives you a headache from hell." Jim muttered audibly, with an amused glance at his XO, who returned a Vulcan smirk over the shared memory.

Capt Logan looked slightly bewildered by the exchange until McCoy came to her rescue. "Don't worry 'bout it Captain. Spock and Jim didn't see eye to eye at first, two years ago and the Commander knocked him out that way once to shut him up."

"Alright. Now, what happened to lead up to our arrival?" Capt Logan asked bringing the discussion back to the subject at hand.

"Can I help Len? I know I can't hold her, but I can help her balance," Uhura asked before Jim could start, knowing the Doctor was itching to get a look at what Jim had done to himself this time.

"Ok Uhura, be careful. Jo, stay with Uhura please, so I can check out these two yahoos and Lt Cmdr Rhymer." he half requested with a glance at the other men.

"Sure, Daddy" she said as he carefully set her down so she was leaning against Uhura's side.

As Jim started to explain the last week's happenings, McCoy started with Rhymer, throwing in his account as he worked. Rhymer and Spock were fine, just a few bruises and for once Jim, surprisingly enough, wasn't down playing his own injuries, much to his relief; though he would be checking on the blow to his left side just to be sure there was no damage to his friend's ribs.

After they were finished, Captain Logan turned to Joanna and after a few brief questions about what happened and her father's catalogue of her injuries; she quietly ordered both Victor and Jocelyn taken into custody.

"Captain, Lt Uhura has recorded want we've told you here today. Will that be enough of a statement at least for now or do we need to stop by the precinct as well?" Jim asked as Victor was hauled to his feet, still staring in shock at them.

"I think that will be enough for now but we will need formal statements from all of you at some point," she replied thoughtfully.

"Cmdr Rhymer has statements from all of us covering what happened up to today in the paperwork that Lt Uhura gave you," Jim said.

"That will make this a bit easier then. Thank you Capt Kirk, Lieutenant," she replied as they shook hands and Uhura gave her the recorded disk.

The majority of the cars were gone in minutes and after bidding them goodbye, Capt Logan turned to set up the watch on the house. They got into the car, Spock driving, and headed to Atlanta General, with a police car following.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**Here's the next chapter, I would have had it up sooner but we're having trouble with the internet.

As always a HUGE thank you to Bookdragon01 for beta-ing!

* * *

><p>Once Joanna was settled between himself and Jim McCoy pulled out his old communicator and made a call to a friend.<p>

"Charlie? It's Leo, you're still at General right?" he asked with a worried glance at Joanna

"_Leo It's great to hear from you. Yes I'm still here. How's Starfleet goin'?"_ The man on the other end of the call replied.

"Been doin' ok. Charlie I hope to God you're at work today, cause I'm gonna need a favor," McCoy said the worry and anger seeping into his voice as he glanced at Jim and his daughter.

"_Yeah, I'm off in about 30 but I think I can squeeze you in. What's wrong?"_ Charlie asked hearing the change in McCoy's voice.

"Jo's been hurt by the bastard her Mama was seein'. I need ya to document everythin' for me. I'm tryin' to fix the Klingon shit divorce that I got stuck with, and get custody of Jo. Can you help?" McCoy asked grimly as Joanna wrapped her arms around his, resting her head on his bicep.

"_Bring her in Leo and we'll get this sorted."_ Charlie replied grimly.

"Thanks Charlie. We'll be there shortly. I have a group from the ship with me and a cop followin' to get copies for APD. We're less than two out." He warned.

"_The more the merrier Leo you know that. I'll meet you at the ER entrance. Pierce out"_

"Who's Charlie?" Jim asked as Bones hung up.

"Charles Benjamin Pierce. One of the best pediatricians at the Hospital; we started workin' there 'bout the same time. I trust him to shoot straight and not to go shootin' his mouth off." McCoy replied gently disentangling Joanna's arms as they pulled up to the ER entrance.

As they approached the doors a tall man stepped out, messy black hair looking like he'd run his fingers through it multiple times, his blue eyes somber, he greeted McCoy with a brief grin, then became serious as he got a look at Joanna in her father's arms.

"Leo, right this way. I've got a room for us in the back, and I told Beej that you were coming so she should have it ready for you," Dr. Pierce said leading them to a small side door marked 'Employee Entrance. "I figured that you'd want to attract as little attention as possible."

"Thanks Charlie, I'll do the introductions after we're in there that way this stays quiet." He gently shifted Joanna in his arms as they followed Charlie through the busy hallway.

Once they were all inside the exam room with the door shut, McCoy began the introductions as he settled Joanna carefully on the biobed.

"Ok Charlie this is Jim Kirk, Cmdr Spock, Nyota Uhura and Lt Cmdr Rhymer from JAG. These are two of the best here at Atlanta General, Dr Charles Pierce and his wife Nurse Bethany Jean."

"Most folks just call me BJ or Beej though saves a bit of time and there are several Bethany's and Jean's in the pediatrics unit. It's also a family nickname," The pretty brown haired nurse explained starting the first of the scans as the cop knocked on the door.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it wasn't like this," Jim said letting the officer in.

"I agree with you there, Captain." Charlie replied, his voice a pleasant mix of New England crispness and Georgia drawl as he pulled the curtain around the bed. "It's not often we get celebrities through here," he added bringing eye rolls and chuckles from the group.

McCoy watched anxiously as Charlie and BJ started the tests and scans, praying that there wasn't anything wrong that he hadn't already found. As they worked, both Charlie and BJ kept up a quiet chatter to keep him and Joanna distracted and calm while they worked and waited for the results to come back.

As the results appeared on the various monitors they were what was expected, other than being more detailed than tricorder readings. McCoy breathed a sigh of relief as he held Joanna's hand while Charlie got started on treating what he could of her concussion and mending her black eye. McCoy found himself relieved beyond words when Joanna stopped squinting up at him.

It took about twenty minutes to treat her various injuries though it felt longer. Everyone seemed to release their breath when BJ pulled the curtain back and they could see that Joanna was looking better; the swelling was down in her face and the bruising several shades lighter, and her hazel eyes clear again.

Dr Pierce held out two disks. "Officer, Lt Cmdr here's your evidence. I hope you can put the bastard away for a long time," he said grimly as Bones lifted Joanna down.

"Uncle Jim, thank you," she said as she came slowly over, limping slightly, and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. Jim just buried his face in her dark hair for a moment, wrapping his arms around her as tight as he dared, more moved than he really wanted to admit.

"You're welcome JoJo, anytime," he whispered to her as he let her go.

Jim shared a smile with Bones as Joanna went around the room giving the crew a hug and shaking Rhymer's hand. Spock obviously wasn't sure what to do for a second, most children avoided him like the plague. But he gave her a hesitant embrace, and Jim had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the look of surprise on his face. That had to have been a first for his friend, having a little girl he hadn't met before that afternoon give him a hug. A quick glance at McCoy and Uhura confirmed that they were having as much trouble as Jim keeping a straight face. It wasn't till later that they learned that Joanna had given him a kiss as well. Charlie snickered a bit at their expressions as he and BJ cleaned up, until his wife smacked him on the back of the head making the rest of them laugh at his antics.

"Ok Jim your turn," McCoy announced once things quieted down.

"Bones I'm fine." Jim started to protest as Bones walked over to him.

"Kid I just wanna make sure of that. From the amount of bruisin' I can see and from what you, Spock and Rhymer said back there that was a hell of a fight. I'm gonna make sure that bastard didn't do anythin' serious to you especially that left side of yours," Bones growled at Jim.

"Bones, it's nothing serious. I have been in fights before you know. Anyway one punch isn't gonna do anything to my ribs," Jim retorted scowling up at McCoy. "You used enough of that bone stuff two years ago to make sure of that."

"No I didn't, just enough to repair the two ribs that bastard damn near shattered not to mention the four others that were either fractured or broken. How the hell you managed to stand that for almost five hours I still don't know," McCoy explained with a sigh. "Get on the bed Jim. 'Sides I know your neck and head hafta be botherin' ya if nothin' else is."

"Fine Bones," Jim huffed as he got up and climbed on to the biobed.

A couple of minutes later the scans were finished. "See Bones, just a bunch of bruises" Jim remarked as the results came back.

"Yeah but now we know that for sure Jim. I used as much calcium as I dared after your fight two years ago but there's no real way to tell if it'll stay repaired after repeated hard blows; and you manage to get hit there often enough, so excuse me for worryin' 'bout punctured organs," Bones snarled back, but Jim could see the relief in his eyes. "Rhymer, you're next, then Spock. I want all your bruises on record, for my own piece of mind if nothin' else."

Rhymer and Spock proved to be more cooperative than Jim about the scans. Once they were finished and handed over to the cop, who left quickly, everyone started gathering up their things.

"We'd better be going; we still need to get Spock and Uhura off on their trip," Jim said looking at the clock, as McCoy picked Joanna back up.

"My folks will be surprised that we made the Cairo connection. We were going to just miss the last one originally" Uhura said looking at her watch.

"I think we need to make some calls," Jim suggested. "Bones I think you'd better call Pike, that way I don't get the medical stuff wrong; let Rhymer handle Archer. Let them know what went on and see if they have any recommendations for going from here."

"So where did Bones come from?" Charlie asked with a grin

"The Kid here thinks he's funny. It stuck after we met on the shuttle to the Academy," McCoy explained with a slightly exasperated look at Jim

"Yeah, He'd tried to hide in the bathroom, and when they drug him out he ended up next to me. Told me the only thing he had left were his bones. Hey I could have used the first thing you said to me Bones, ever think of that?" Jim added grinning at his friend.

"And what was that?" Charlie asked a glint of mischief in his eyes as McCoy rolled his.

"'I might throw up on you.'" Jim replied with a devilish grin at his friend, while Charlie, BJ, and Joanna burst out laughing.

"You definitely came off the better, Leo. Let us know how things turn out, please?" Charlie chuckled.

"I will. Charlie, BJ, thank you, for everything." He shook Charlie's hand and gave BJ a quick hug at the door, before heading out of the ER and back to the car.

It was after 3:00 as they left the hospital so they decided to eat then head for the shuttle terminal. Joanna requested her favorite restaurant, an old fashioned little café in the old city center. After a good meal in the charming old building, they headed to the Atlanta shuttle terminal to see Uhura and Spock off.

As they waited for the shuttle to board Jim found a couple open vid-coms and called to let his mom know he'd be later than planned, while Rhymer called the Atlanta PD and Adm. Archer.

"_Hello? Jim? Adm. Archer said you were sick, are you alright? How's your stomach?"_ Winona asked rapid fire. Jim chuckled at her. She looked almost the same as when he was a kid. Her blonde hair was shorter and highlighted with grey now; and a few more lines had appeared around her eyes and cheeks but she was still pretty.

"Mom I'm fine. That was a cover that Admirals Pike and Archer came up with to get us out of there early," Jim said rolling his eyes. "We're in Atlanta right now."

"_What happened?"_ Winona asked worriedly.

"We had to come early and get Bones' girl, Joanna. It's a long story but I probably won't get there till later tomorrow sometime. The flights are screwed up cause of a storm near Chicago," Jim told her, a trace of anger still in his voice.

"_Can you give me the highlights?" _she asked as her worry shifted from her son to the girl she'd heard about for the last two years.

"Bones got a call that Joanna was in trouble so we ended up flying out as the Ceremony started. Got down here and found out that she was hurt pretty bad by the bastard-" he paused to clear his throat, blinking hard. "She's gonna be ok, but it was serious for a while, right now she's sitting with Uhura and her dad, talking to Spock. Bones' lawyer, Rhymer is talking to Archer and the APD to find out if she has any restrictions on her movement, you know the old line: don't leave town. Then Bones has to call Pike to fill him in too. I would have but I don't think I could stay calm enough. Plus Pike needs to hear it from him" Jim explained quickly.

"_If they can leave why-why don't all of you come up here? You know we have the space. And I'd like to meet the friends you talk about so much,"_ she asked a bit hesitantly. She knew that he'd been eager to come home but wasn't sure if he'd want to bring his friends yet or not.

"I'll ask them Mom - just a minute." Jim could see she was worried that he'd refuse, as he turned and yelled at the group. "Uhura, Bones? Need to ask you something." Bones rolled his eyes as he helped Joanna settle in the seat next to Spock and follow Uhura over. Jim leaned out of the booth slightly and asked "How does moving our get together to my Mom's sound? She offered and there's more than enough room."

Uhura thought a moment and smiled "Let me ask Spock," she said, hurrying off to ask.

"Joanna can leave the state right?" Jim asked Bones.

"Yes the cops know how to find us. From what Rhymer just found out from Capt Logan, she was on the comm. almost as soon as she got back to the station callin' Pike and Archer. They vouched for us so we're good to go. It's still a bit of a mess but it could be worse. Hi Mrs. Kirk," Bones said as he stuck his head in the booth. "Jo and I'll be there. Uhura's askin' Spock. But you'll at least have the two of us."

"_Good, it'll be nice to have a child around the place again."_ She smiled.

Uhura tapped Bones on the shoulder and squeezed around him enough to see the screen as he backed up to let her in. "Excuse me Len. We're in too so that makes four. Kirk, the next ones open again so I'll start calling the others. Bye Mrs. Kirk, see you soon." She ducked out with a wave and a smile. "Len don't worry about calling Adm. Pike. Rhymer caught him in Archer's office." Jim heard her say as they separated and McCoy headed back to their seats.

Jim shook his head grinning. "I hope you're ready for a hyperactive 19 year old Russian whiz kid , a perpetually hungry Scott, Sulu practicing fencing in the back yard and cataloguing the flower beds, Uhura and Spock still trying to act like they aren't in love and babbling in some alien language all over the place, and Bones worrying about someone getting hurt." He said with a laugh.

"_Sounds wonderful actually Jim, I'm going to enjoy having all of you,"_ Winona said chuckling at his familiar descriptions of his friends. _"Let me know who's coming when you know. I love you Jim,"_ She told him softly.

"I love you too Mom. Talk to you later. Kirk out." He quickly stuck his head in the next booth. "Uhura, who do you need to get a hold of yet?"

"Just Scotty," she said breaking off whatever she was saying in Russian.

"Ok I'll call him. Pavel I'm sorry for interrupting," he said and quickly slid back into his booth. It took Scotty a while to answer; Jim had almost given up and was going to leave a message when he picked up slightly out of breath.

"_Sorry Cap'n Ah was in th' hall and didnea hear it at first. Wha's goin' on? Did ya manage ta git the Lass?"_ Scotty asked looking worried.

"Yes we did, she's hurt but going to be alright. Right now she's with Bones, Spock and 'Rhymer. I called my mom to let her know I'd be late and she offered to let us use the farm for our last week of leave. Are you still going to be able to make it if we do?" Jim explained.

"_O' course Cap'n, Ah wouldnea miss it fer th' world. She makes sandwiches righ'?" _

Jim just laughed at Scotty's obsession. "You might have to put them together but I know she'll have the stuff," He replied still chuckling.

"_It's no' funny Cap'n,"_ Scotty protested.

"I know Scotty, it's the fact every time we go anywhere that's the first thing you ask," Jim explained as he managed to stop chuckling. "Same date as before but its Riverside Iowa."

"_Riverside! Tha's where they built th' _Enterprise_!"_ Scotty exclaimed awed.

"Yep, I more or less watched it go together; though I didn't pay any real attention to it till I enlisted. Don't worry I think Mom's got holos of it. So we'll see you in a week?"

"_Ya bet yaer ass ya will!"_

"See you then Scotty. Kirk out," Jim was still laughing as Uhura stuck her head in again.

"What?" Uhura asked puzzled by his laughter.

"Just Scotty, his sandwich obsession and the fact that the _Enterprise_ was built in Riverside. So who's coming?" Jim asked.

"Well both of them so there'll be 8 of us all together. I'd left a message for Sulu and he came barging into Chekov's room to make sure he got a hold of me," she told him with a grin.

"Thanks for calling them I appreciate it. Now to get back to Mom," he told her with a grin, keying in the number as she went back to their seats.

McCoy settled back in his seat with Joanna in his lap discussing what Rhymer had learned from the Admirals and Captain Logan. Neither Jocelyn nor Victor was talking yet, but the results of the scans that Charlie had done at the hospital had just arrived and were being examined before being used to confront either of them.

Uhura arrived just as Rhymer was going over what Adm. Archer had said when he's heard what happened and his attempts to clean up the Admiral's language because of Joanna were amusing.

Jim joined them a few minutes later still laughing. "My Mom's reaction to my telling her about Scotty's obsession with sandwiches, I thought she'd fall out of her seat laughing," he explained still chuckling.

Just then Uhura and Spock's shuttle was called; everyone stood up and helped them gather their bags as goodbyes were said. Uhura gently hugged Joanna, and McCoy, and shook hands with Jim, and Rhymer. Joanna managed to corner Spock as he paused to pick up his suitcase and gave him another hug; he took this one in better grace. Amid the chaos Rhymer reminded them to send their statements to Captain Logan and him as soon as they could.

After they were gone, Rhymer turned to Jim, and McCoy, who had Joanna yawning on his shoulder, "Captain, Doctor I found a shuttle for San Francisco in an hour and will be taking it to get started on all the paperwork and give the Admirals a thorough brief on everything that has happened."

"Well goodbye, have a safe trip. Let us know what happens," Jim said as they shook hands.

"You should be hearing from me regularly, and I'll comm. you first with any new developments. Take care Joanna I'll see you soon," Rhymer replied and headed for the shuttle gate as Joanna waved sleepily. Then the three of them left the terminal to see about finding a hotel for the night.

"Why don't we just go back to your place Bones? If we need to get anything for JoJo that she forgot to pack its right there,"Jim asked as they headed for the car.

"And what do we tell her 'bout why she's back there and why her Mama isn't?" Bones whispered back, trying not to wake the girl dozing on his shoulder. That was the last thing he needed right now, having Joanna panic on him because of being back in that house right now, with or without Jocelyn there; though he could see the logic in Jim's suggestion too.

"We could say that since things went the way they did she didn't want to stay there. Or we could just tell her the truth that her Mom's in trouble for letting him hurt her, and the cops needed to have a long talk with her about it. And we don't know when she'll be back or if they'll let her because of the divorce being looked at. C'mon she's a smart girl Bones she can handle the truth or at least a watered down version. This kinda thing makes you grow up fast," Jim replied adding the last almost under his breath as they reached the car.

Hearing Jim's last sentence made McCoy pause; he'd never pried into Jim's past but he'd managed to put together a pretty good picture of it, and that last remark filled in several blanks and explained a lot about his reactions today as well as confirmed his suspicions about some of the older scars and injuries he'd seen while patching Jim back up after some of his stunts.

"Ok Jim we'll try it. But if she gets too upset it's on your head." He sighed as he gently buckled Joanna into her seatbelt, praying that he wouldn't regret it.

"Alright Bones. Part of the reason for this too is the fact I hate sleeping in hotel beds. They're good for some things but sleeping isn't one of them," Jim said with a straight face that dissolved into a chuckle as Bones shot him a dirty look before pulling out of the parking lot.

"I'll bet Jim. You're the only person I know who could or would make that statement with a straight face," McCoy groused as they headed back towards his old house.

It turned out they couldn't get to the house though; there had been a bad wreck over one of the main streets that led to at least two more and with all the traffic being rerouted it would have taken more patience than either Jim or McCoy possessed right then to get across the city. So Bones drove to a hotel that he remembered.

It took Jim a few minutes to arrange for rooms them while McCoy and Joanna waited in the car; they ended up with a suite because of needing three beds. Once in the rooms, Jim retreated to the second bedroom to change while Bones got Joanna awake and helped her change in the other bedroom. Jim had to shake his head at the room; it looked a lot like the bedroom of the dorm they'd shared, only a different color scheme. But he almost automatically claimed the bed away from the door, knowing both his friend and what might be happening with Joanna.

Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, he finished getting ready for bed then peaked in the other bedroom to see Joanna in bed talking sleepily with Bones, hugging the bear he'd found on her bed.

"Ok your turn," he said quietly from the doorway as they looked up.

"Thanks Jim," Bones told him giving Jo one last kiss and hug before standing up.

"I love ya Daddy," she murmured as he stood.

"I love ya too Darlin'," he murmured as he turned to leave, smiling at Joanna.

"G'night Uncle Jim," she added a moment later holding out her arms for a hug.

"Night JoJo, sweet dreams," he whispered back as he released her and moved to the door smiling back at her as he turned off the light and pulled the door partway shut, before heading for his own bed. Slipping out of his shirt he suddenly froze, remembering that he'd had a date with Carol tonight. 'Oh well, I'll make it up to her' he thought before crawling in and closing his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I'm back again. Sorry for the wait as usual. Hopefully I'll get the next one out a bit faster. Thank yous to Bookdragon01 for beta-ing. You will never know how much it means to me.

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><p>Jim woke slightly disoriented, he lay there for a minute, squinting, wondering what happened to his quarters. It was just barely dawn by the amount of light. Then he heard a rustle across the room, peering over he saw Bones still asleep in the other bed, covers pulled around his ears as usual, and the day before came rushing back.<p>

Quietly slipping out of bed; he peeked into Joanna's room. She was sound asleep, curled up around her bear, the covers nearly kicked off. Jim smiled as he carefully covered her back up and after a quick stop in the bathroom; headed back to bed.

For good or bad Leonard McCoy was one of those that could wake at the drop of a hat, and any increase in noise would wake him out of a sound sleep. The faint sounds of Jim moving around the suite woke him, as they had for their three years at the Academy, no matter how quiet Jim was. This time the events of the day before had him half out of bed before he realized it, to check on Joanna.

"I just checked on her, Bones. She's fine; she'd kicked the covers off so I pulled them back up. All she did was shift her grip on her bear as I walked out." Jim's sleepy voice from the next bed made him relax in relief and lay back down.

"Thanks Jim," he said looking over at his friend. Soon they were both sleeping soundly again.

A couple hours later the closing of the bedroom door woke Jim. Cracking one eye open, he watched Bones finish drying his hair before sitting up and stretching.

"JoJo up yet?" he asked through a yawn.

"No but you might wanna be quick if you want to get a shower before she is," Bones replied sitting down to put on his boots. It always amazed him that Jim could sleep through most everyday sounds but any sounds near him would wake him in seconds.

"Gotcha. See you in a few. I'd better call Logan make sure she knows that we're going to Iowa." He gathered up his things and headed for the shower.

"Jim I want to check your ribs this mornin'. And I'm not gonna to let you talk me out of it, you're a bit more bruised today, I don't think it's serious, but I want to be sure. Besides you're still slightly hoarse." Bones smiled as Jim flipped him the bird and left the room, a few moments later he heard the bathroom door shut and the shower start. Standing up, with a small chuckle at his friend's antics, McCoy headed for the synthesizer to see about coffee before Joanna woke up.

Ten minutes later Jim stepped out of the bathroom, holding his shirt, and crossed to the small table.

"Ok Bones let's get this over with," he sighed plopping backwards into the nearest chair. McCoy chuckled at the disgruntled look on Jim's face as he pulled out his tricorder, some things never changed, and Jim's dislike of medical anything was reassuring in an odd way. Handing Jim a cup of coffee Bones started running the sensor over the bruises on the left side of his torso, head and throat. As he finished checking the goose egg on the back of Jim's head, Joanna came out of her room and froze.

"Uncle Jim, are you alright?" she gasped hurrying over as fast as her still mending ankle would allow, carefully looking at the bruises on his arms and torso.

"I'm fine JoJo. I got those fighting Victor yesterday. And no they don't really hurt; I get enough sparing against Spock, Sulu and a few others that I don't really even notice them anymore." He smiled at the look of disbelief she gave him.

"It's true Joanna. But I usually still see him about once a week for sparing injuries," McCoy assured her, running one more scan on Jim's head, though he knew Jim was fine.

"Just the stuff my uniform can't hide or is serious enough that I can't move right," Jim retorted indignantly, motioning at the bruises on his arms.

"Yeah and I see even less of ya when I should since you decided to keep stuff in your quarters. Or did you think I wouldn't notice that we seemed to suddenly be usin' more analgesics and muscle relaxers than we used to?" Bones groused as he put down the tricorder.

"What? Bones, yes I started keeping some stuff in my quarters, but I didn't take them out of the Medbay! I'm not that stupid! I picked them up on Starbase 10, right after we had that run in with the Romulans and the Camera Sight Flu this last mission," Jim replied shock written plain on his face. "Just how much are we talking about being gone?"

"Jim it was Kamaraazite Flu that you and the away team brought back from that medicinal drop on Bolaris. And I noticed things were missin' bout a week after the Romulans; so about 3-4 days before Starbase10. And we've lost, close as I can remember, 2 ½ cases of muscle relaxers and 4 of analgesics," McCoy said running his hand through his hair in annoyance. Of course this sort of thing would happen now, right when he didn't need the extra distraction.

"Ok Bones I'll call the APD and make sure they know about our trip and we'll both call Pike to let him know about the theft. But first breakfast," Jim said, standing up and patting Bones on the shoulder. "Pike won't be up yet anyway so we have a bit of time to kill. It's only 0800 here," he reminded his CMO as he pulled his shirt on.

"Jim, I'll comm. Pike, it's part of my job as CMO. Joanna what do ya want for breakfast, Darlin'?" Bones asked nodding at Jim in agreement.

"What's on the list?" she asked limping over to the synthesizer.

"JoJo any waffles on there?" Jim asked trying to read over her shoulder.

"Yes plain, fruit topped, or Belgian."

"Jo, do they have a real breakfast on there?" Bones asked as he finished clearing the table. The synthesizers on the ship couldn't make grits for anything. Eggs, bacon, and toast they did alright on but grits more closely resembled his memories of Paper Mache paste than anything edible. So much so that Chapel had once suggested that it would make an excellent casting agent for broken bones if the osteo-regenerators ever went out during an emergency.

"I'm not sure Daddy, yep they do. Want me to put all that in?" Joanna asked quietly remembering the huge breakfasts he used to cook on the weekends.

"Sure Jo if you don't mind." Joanna quickly entered both her and her father's orders and he carried them back to the table. Jim followed a couple minutes later with a plate of strawberry waffles; both McCoy's had eggs, bacon, toast, grits, and hash browns. Jim shook his head slightly at the grits but knew better than to comment on his friend's choice of breakfast. He'd tried them, both at the Academy and on the ship and had almost gagged at the taste and texture no matter what Bones had recommended putting on them.

After he finished eating, Jim went to make the call to Capt Logan, while Bones checked over Joanna's injuries once again. Jim hoped it would be a quick conversation but he had the feeling it wouldn't.

Captain Logan answered quickly, _"Captain Kirk, what can I do for you this mornin'?"_ She looked like she'd just gotten in, and was finishing a cup of coffee or something.

"Good morning Captain, I wanted to touch bases with you this morning. And ask if you had anything new on your end of this mess we needed to know. I also wanted to make sure that the report from Dr Pierce at Atlanta General reached you," Jim replied diplomatically.

"_Yes it did and it did help some, we managed to get an admission from her, and I guess you could call it a partial confession from him. But Victor Donovan has been in the system since he was younger than you Captain, so we're gettin' mostly threats and curses. Sometimes I wish we could go back to some of the tactics used a couple hundred years ago, and scare the truth out of him"_ she reported wearily.

"We'll pass that suggestion along to Lt Cmdr Rhymer, since part of this is going to be Starfleet jurisdiction, he might have some suggestions about it. Also Captain, we had a slight change in our plans last night," Jim said.

"_Really?"_ Logan interrupted.

"I called to let my mother know that I wasn't going to make it when I'd told her, and she offered to let Dr. McCoy and Joanna stay with us for the next two weeks, in Iowa. He and I thought that it might be good to get her away from all the memories and if the media get a hold of it- well we've had our fill of dodging reporters for the moment. And I don't want to be having to bail my CMO out or be bailed out of jail cause some of them got inappropriate," Jim explained.

"_I understand wantin' to get away from the media, I don't think they'll be that bad, if you did stay; but I won't force you. I agree that they both have been through enough the last few days. May I ask why you dislike reporters so much right now?"_ Logan asked.

"A lot of reasons Captain, most are from the last two years. The whole time we were waiting for repairs, we could hardly set foot outside the Academy grounds without getting ambushed by them. And just this last week we had one literally corner Cmdr Spock and start trying to grill him about what happened on Vulcan and to his mother. It's still a touchy subject for him, so naturally he reacted, after he couldn't get away from the idiot. When we got there the reporter was hanging by his belt off a seven foot trellis. An angry Vulcan, half human or not, is no joke; believe me," Jim gave a small chuckle and rubbed his throat. Then he sobered. "And I'm tired of seeing the people I've come to think of as family put through that shit; seeing their darkest moments, stupidest mistakes, or innocent moments twisted and splashed all over the place. Since they got our names two years ago they've been digging and once they ran out of real dirt, they started making shit up about us. I'm still mad about some of those pictures and stories; they never even tried to find out the truth," he finished almost growling.

"_I remember some of the stories you're talking about Captain Kirk and I agree with you,"_ Captain Logan said, thinking about some of the more lurid stories that the tabloids had come out with at the time. _"Alright I will get with Lt Cmdr Rhymer as soon as he's available and let you get goin' to Iowa. Captain, I know I can't promise anythin' but I will do my best to keep the press off your backs. I'll comm. you if we need anythin'. I will warn you though at some point Joanna and both of you are goin' to have to make a formal statement and the sooner the better; both Starfleet and the DA here will need them. I received Cmdr Spock's and Lt Uhura's this morning. Safe travels."_

"Thank you Captain, we appreciate it. I'll see what I can set up once we're a bit more settled, probably later this coming week or early next. We'll be in touch; Kirk out."

Bones had finished Joanna's check up, and they had started getting packed while Jim was talking. When he walked in the bedroom Joanna was seated on the bed dropping things into her father's bag as he tossed or handed them to her giggling when she missed and one of her dad's shirts landed on her head.

"Looks like a pretty good system guys. What can I do to help?" Jim asked glancing around.

"All your stuff Jim, have at it." Bones chuckled placing the last of his things in the bag and closing it.

"Ok. Is that all that's left?"

"Yes," Bones said.

"Did you get my stuff or just yours outta the bathroom?"

"Look around Jim it's all on your bed," Bones said as Joanna started giggling at the comically disgusted look on Jim's face as he started repacking his bag.

"Some friends you are," he grumbled good naturedly.

"I happen to think it's pretty fair Jim. Who ended up cleanin' your messes up before inspections for three years? That would be me," McCoy reminded Jim as he picked up his and Joanna's bags as the two of them headed for the living room.

"Well don't forget that you need to brave Adm. Pike's wrath for not catching those thefts earlier." The two of them shared a nervous glance at the thought of what Pike was going to say as Jim got back to work packing.

"Jo I need to get a hold of Adm. Pike. You can go back and help Jim if you want," McCoy told her as he set their bags by the door.

"I brought a book I wanna finish Daddy," Joanna replied softly, pulling a blue PADD out of her backpack.

"I'll try and be quick Darlin' but with meds missing this might take awhile," he said as he sat down and keyed in the number.

"_Bones, what's going on this morning?"_ Pike asked when he saw who was calling.

"Well we have a bit of a problem, sir, that Jim and I just discovered," McCoy began carefully.

"_Oh, what kind of problem?"_ Pike asked, looking a bit surprised at McCoy's manner.

"Someone's been liftin' meds from the Medbay," McCoy began and braced for the explosion.

"_What!"_ Pike demanded. _"What are we talking about, and how the hell did you not catch it before now? Also how _did_ you manage to do it from Atlanta when you didn't while on the ship?"_

"The reason we found out is cause of a remark I made when I was checkin' Jim's bruises this mornin', to help reassure Jo that he was alright. Jim told her that he got worse from sparrin' with Spock and the others; and I backed him up that he did. I figured he'd laugh it off the way he does when he's caught when I asked him if he thought I wouldn't notice that he was keepin' stuff so he wouldn't have to come in as much cause we were goin' through common analgesics and muscle relaxers faster all of a sudden."

"_And what is 'all of a sudden'?" _Pike asked.

"This last mission, somewhere around our bein' quarantined for Kamaraazite Flu and that damn Romulan attack near as I can figure it. I didn't really notice until after things settled down and I had a chance to go over things for restocking at Starbase 10. Those were the main medications we were usin' in most cases to treat that flu, only the worst hit got anythin' stronger,"McCoy explained. "At first I thought Jim had sweet talked one of the nurses into giving him a few extra when he came in, but the amount's too large for one person, even if they were hooked on the stuff. When we docked at Starbase One last week, we were short 2 ½ cases of muscle relaxers and 4 of analgesics if my memory is right."

"_Alright Bones, I'll have Giotto look into it. I also want you to change all the medicine codes that aren't locked up when you get back," _Pike informed him. _"And I expect you to keep a better watch on the medicine in the future. I understand you were stretched between the epidemic and the attack, and I guess I should be grateful that it wasn't the stronger medicines that were taken."_

"Those are under bio-lock Admiral; only five of us on the ship have access to them. And Spock has the only other override, I know Jim doesn't," McCoy said.

"_Alright. Now fill me in on what happened yesterday after Rhymer left,"_ Pike requested.

McCoy quickly filled in what happened after they'd left the shuttle terminal. As he finished Joanna came over and crawled in his lap. As soon as he saw the bruises Pike's eyes widened in shock. Rhymer had described her injuries and he'd read the report from Atlanta General but even after all he'd seen in the last thirty-three years in Starfleet the sight of an injured child still made his blood boil, especially when the child belonged to someone he knew.

"_Good morning Joanna, how are you?"_ Pike asked softly remembering the lessons learned over the years dealing with the smallest victims.

"I'm doin' alright Admiral," Joanna replied with a slight smile.

"_I'm glad. Well I'll let you go Bones. Have a good trip and don't forget what I told you."_ Pike replied with a hard glance at McCoy.

"We will, and I won't forget. We'll talk to you soon Sir, McCoy out," he said and closed the connection. "Jim you almost done?"

"Yeah, just finished Bones," Jim said coming out of the bedroom with his bag. "You can fill me in on what Pike said on the way to the terminal."

As they waited for the10 o'clock shuttle to be called they discussed things to do over the next couple of weeks. There wasn't a lot to do in Riverside but there was a lot of country, the shipyards and a few other things.

"I do want to take everyone over to the Shipyard Bar though before we leave. Probably the last night, since the last time I was there I left the next day for the Academy. Be kinda interesting to make it a tradition," Jim said chuckling at the memory.

"I remember hearing something about a bar fight that morning, but didn't pay attention, or connect you with it. Probably should have the way you looked though," Bones half grumbled, having heard the story over the last five years.

"Yep don't forget Cupcake and crew. I haven't called him that to anyone but you in the last two years and its still going around. But all in all he's more tolerable now than he was in the Academy, thankfully," Jim replied thinking back to that night.

"What happened, Uncle Jim?" Joanna asked looking intrigued.

"I went out to a bar in the next town one night and there were a bunch of cadets there. Uhura and I got to talking, but these four cadets got mad and decided to make a big deal of it. Uhura just kinda laughed it off, but I was stupid and had been drinking so I made a rather rude joke about what she'd told them. When the guys started getting in my face I called the leader Cupcake. He thought I was looking for a fight, I hadn't till then, so I said something to him, and turned back to get my drink. Then he sucker punched me and the fight was on. If I hadn't gotten blindsided by a blow to the jaw, and all the alcohol I'd had I might have come out better. Pike broke it up and dared me to do better than my dad" Jim explained carefully, he really couldn't go into too much detail, both because some of it was fuzzy anyway and because a lot of what wasn't really wasn't fit for a ten year old.

"What did your Dad do that he wanted you to beat?" she asked next.

Both Jim and Bones looked at each other over her head, Bones shrugged, and gave him an _it's your call_ look. He knew Joanna would ask later until she found out.

"You've heard of the Kelvin JoJo right?" he asked softly leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees and turning so he wouldn't be over heard as easily.

"I heard some kids talkin' about it in school this week. They were sayin' that it was mentioned in the memorials. They mentioned it in history but other than it getting' destroyed I don't remember much," she replied trying to remember what else she'd heard.

"Well my parents were assigned to it when it was destroyed. I'll tell you the whole story when we get to Iowa JoJo, I promise. But Pike dared me to do better than my Dad, because in the last twelve minutes before it was destroyed he managed to saved 800 lives," he told her somberly.

Joanna looked at him with her good eye the left was hidden behind her hair, thinking hard. "I think you did it Uncle Jim," she told him.

"Yeah I know Kiddo. Thanks," he told her with a rueful smile as their shuttle was called.

Jim and Joanna kept Bones distracted for most of the trip before she started dozing. After she was sleeping in her seat between them, Bones looked over at Jim, "Is your Mom gonna pick us up or do we need to find a ride?"

"She said that she'd come get us when I called her from the terminal. I told you what Logan told me right; about the paperwork we still need?" he replied softly glancing around slightly nervous. No one, but the flight steward, who'd recognized him, knew who they were at this point and he wanted to keep it that way, so that if Captain Logan was wrong about the media it would be harder to find them.

"Yeah Jim, at least a dozen times. We'll get it sorted out as soon as we can but there's no use makin' a fuss on the weekend. Are ya gonna tell her the whole thing about the Kelvin or just the highlights like you did with the bar fight?" McCoy asked changing the subject.

"I'll tell her as much as she wants to know. Hell if that witch of an ex of yours would have let her watch last week she'd know pretty much the whole thing. Mom said that she'd recorded it, so maybe we could let her watch, and then answer anything she still has questions about." Jim shrugged looking at Bones to see what he thought.

"That would probably be best; Pike's dissertation isn't something she'll be able to understand totally; some of it is over my head. Are you gonna show your Mom the plaque?"Bones said thoughtfully.

"What do you think Bones? Yes. I'm thinking of hanging it either in my office or quarters. I haven't decided yet; probably won't till I get there and can see where it'll look best,"Jim said thoughtfully

"Sounds like a plan Jim. How much longer are we on this flying deathtrap for anyway?" Bones groused looking out the window irritably.

"Relax Bones, only about five more minutes ok? I thought we got you a bit more comfortable with this?" Jim grinned not really surprised to hear his friend's complaints.

"I am, ya idiot, just not with my daughter on board ok." Bones snapped back.

"Ok calm down, it's almost over then we'll be on the ground again," Jim assured him, rolling his eyes at his antics, as Bones gently woke Joanna.


	7. Chapter 7

**Once again Thank you to Bookdragon01 for beta-ing. I definately wouldn't be this far without you. No I don't own them, or this would be the plot of the new movie! lol**

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><p>Winona Kirk, McCoy discovered when she met them at the shuttle terminal, was only slightly shorter than he'd thought. He figured she'd top Jocelyn's 5'3" by a good couple inches, her build was sturdier too, the kind of woman used to doing things for herself. It was even more evident she and Jim were related in person, especially around the eyes, as she broke through the small crowd and hurried over to them. Jim seemed to surprise her when he lifted her off the ground as he hugged her.<p>

"Jim, put me down!" Winona demanded chuckling at his antics.

"Just glad to see you Mom, that's all," Jim told her with a grin that made her roll her eyes as he set her down.

"Oh you- you are definitely a Kirk." Winona told him as she looked up at him shaking her head in fond exasperation. Jim knew that when his mom said he was a Kirk that he'd done something to remind her of his dad, but there was no flash of sorrow in her eyes, just a small shift that was gone almost as fast as it came.

"Mom what else would I be?" he laughingly returned. "I want you to really meet Bones and his daughter Joanna" he continued, moving to stand beside them.

"It's good to finally meet you Doctor, after talking with you on the comm. so much the last couple of years," she told McCoy with a smile.

"You too Ma'am," he replied shifting Joanna so he could shake her hand. They had gotten to know each other a bit because of his calls after Jim's more spectacular mishaps.

"It's good to meet you too Joanna. Jim's told me a lot about you."

"He has?" she asked surprised, raising her head slightly to look at Winona through her tangle of hair.

"Yes, I think it kinda shocked him that your Dad had such a pretty girl," Winona said grinning at the look on her son's face; Joanna giggled as well.

"Uncle Jim's just silly, bout girls, least that's what Daddy says, Miz Kirk," Joanna replied shyly.

"Well we'll have to see about that won't we? And both of you call me Winona, after everything that's happened we're not standing on ceremony like a bunch of strangers. Now how about we get outta here?" she asked still smiling as she helped Jim and McCoy gather the bags, and start following her towards the old van just outside the gates.

"In that case it's Leonard. I get enough 'Doctor'-in' on the ship," McCoy told her as they walked, Joanna clinging to him like a monkey.

"Mom are you ever gonna get rid if this old thing?" Jim asked as he loaded their bags in the back of the van that had been around as long as he could remember.

"As long as it's running and I can get parts for it, no. We bought this almost twenty-nine years ago Jim. And you aren't going to run it into the quarry, like you did the 'Vette, so I'll have to," she told him.

"Mom I was what, twelve? And that idiot was gonna sell Dad's car while you were gone and then lie about it. At the time it made sense, but I kinda wish now that I hadn't done it," he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he climbed in the front seat next to her.

"You mean that crazy story is true?" McCoy asked in disbelief, as they turned onto the road. Of course he'd heard the story, but he'd put most of it down to the alcohol talking, making a near miss that much more daring the way Jim embellished quite a few of his tales.

"Yes unfortunately, my ex-husband was going to sell a twentieth century Corvette that had been Jim's Dad's while I was off planet at the Lunar station; and then say that it had been stolen or something. My knuckle head here heard about the plans and took it for a joyride. The ex decided to say Jim had stolen it and called the cops. And somehow he decided to drive it into the old quarry full speed while being chased by a hover bike officer. The report said that he just barely managed to grab the edge when he bailed out. It wasn't long after that, that I filed for divorce." Winona finished, with a glance at the 'knuckle head' next to her trying to hide a slight blush.

"I always thought he was makin' that up just to get a rise outta me. I guess I shouldda known better, huh Jim? I mean there's no way that dare devil streak of yours just popped up when you decided to join Starfleet," McCoy said leaning forward to lightly smack Jim on the arm.

"Hey, Bones watch it. I never said it didn't happen or anything, you just assumed that I was exaggerating cause the first time I told you bout it we were drinking," Jim retorted looking back at his friend.

"Now no fighting you two; at least not in the car," Winona told them and glanced at Joanna in the rearview mirror. "Is she asleep already?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah she's still healin' some. That's also why she wouldn't really look at ya back there. She's scared that folks'll see the bruises and think Jim or I did it," Bones explained still worried about her and the delay in getting her treated. "I was surprised that she left her hair over her face, she usually hates it loose like this, till she told me that."

"How bad is it? And what can I do to help Leonard?" Winona asked concerned.

"She's got newly healed bruised ribs, a black eye that still looks bad, assorted other bruises, and the remains of a borderline level 2 concussion, that's why she's so tired. When we got her she was slightly dehydrated too but we've got that back under control, just need to keep an eye on her for a couple days to make sure everythin' else heals right. The rest, we'll have wait and see," McCoy told Winona who nodded, as they turned off the main road onto a narrower two lane one. A moment later, Jim reached for one of her white knuckled hands on the steering wheel, and held it as they continued on down the road.

A few minutes later Jim looked out his mom's window. "Hey Bones there it is, the old quarry. Somewhere down there is the Corvette," he said pointing to the top edge of a distant security fence, running parallel to the road.

"And how deep is that hole in the ground?" McCoy asked warily, not sure he really wanted to know.

"No clue really, I think it's something like 250 feet down. But I might not be remembering it right," Jim chuckled, giving his mom's hand a quick squeeze.

"Jim I am not goin' to go Corvette huntin' with you while we're here," McCoy retorted before Jim could ask. There was no way he was going anywhere near that quarry not with Joanna finally with him.

"Don't worry I wasn't even going to. I might go look at the quarry for old times' sake. I did spend a lot of time sitting on the edge of it the last couple years I was here, but that's all. I knew you didn't like shuttles but I didn't realize you were afraid of heights too," Jim chuckled.

"I'm not; I just don't like the idea of you fallin' in," Bones shot back over his friend's laughter.

"Ok you two enough. We're here," Winona said as they turned into the long gravel drive, only the very top of the house was visible over the crops and roll of the land.

"I never thought I'd be glad to get back here this soon. Whoa, you really did a lot Mom. It looks great," Jim said a few minutes later as they pulled up and got out.

"Thank you Jim. I've been trying to make it look the way it used to for a while now and just finally got the outside of it done," she replied softly, laying a hand on his arm.

"I'm glad you did it, the place looks a lot better." The house had been painted white with green trim, with wild flowers bordering the porch and walk.

"It was a lot of work. I got some help from some of the high school kids in the hands-on courses. There was no way I was going to climb a ladder to do the upstairs at my age. Well let's get unloaded and you three settled," she said giving Jim's arm a pat as she turned towards the back of the van. "Leonard, I can take Joanna if you want then you two can get the bags easier."

"That ought to work Ma-Winona. Just be careful of her ribs. They're fine but they and her ankle are still botherin' her a bit," he replied as he joined Jim at the tailgate. Winona nodded as she gently maneuvered Joanna out of the car, and headed for the front door as the guys followed.

"Mom, do you want me to take her for the stairs?" Jim asked worried about both of them, Joanna was quite an armful for his mom.

"No Jim, I'm fine, I managed to get you up these stairs when you were twelve and you were bigger than Joanna," Winona replied shooting her son a slightly sad smile as she crossed the porch. "You can enter the lock code for me Jim, if you want to help."

McCoy looked around at what must have been a fully working farm at one point but even surrounded by fields there weren't the signs of working the land that would be expected, though the barns were still standing and looked to be cared for. The house was older but was in good shape. It reminded him of the way the house felt when he was growing up, welcoming.

Jim stopped in surprise as he entered; she had been busy. The walls were repainted and the whole place looked brighter. As he and Bones followed his Mom and Joanna slowly upstairs he stared at all the changes. She'd hung some old school holos of him and Sam in the stairwell, as well as some of their grandparents.

Winona paused in the upstairs hall. "How are we going to do sleeping arrangements? I don't want to have anything awkwards" she whispered slightly out of breath from Joanna's weight while climbing the stairs. Joanna was definitely an arm load for Winona, but like she'd said she'd carried larger, just as precious, loads in the past.

"Mom we have time to work that out. Let's get JoJo in bed and then see what we can figure out," Jim said softly as he headed for his old room. It was almost the same as the last time he'd been home, the posters were different, thankfully he'd taken down the centerfolds and just the old cars and starships were left, but it looked better.

Jim tossed his bag on the top bunk. "I got top Bones. Tuck her in the bottom for now, Mom, it'll be easier."

As she and Leonard got her jacket off and laid her down, Winona got her first real look at the bruises on Joanna's face and arms. They were still faintly purple turning to green at the edges, and the swelling in her face was almost gone. For a moment Winona felt a sense of déjà vu, remembering when she'd done this before it had been Jim lying there.

The slight hesitation and fine tremble of Winona's hands as they put Joanna to bed, puzzled McCoy slightly, but he filed it away for later. It was more like the reaction to a flashback or a bad memory then a fear of causing his daughter any more discomfort, he realized as he moved towards the door watching as Winona gently smoothed Joanna's hair back and stood while Jim placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

As Winona turned to leave she saw Jim standing with his hand on Leonard's shoulder, and promised herself she'd do what she could to help soften the familiar anguished look in Leonard's eyes. She stepped out of the room and laid her hand on his shoulder next to Jim's in comfort. "We'll get her through this Leonard, she'll be alright," she whispered hoping that they wouldn't notice the tears threatening to clog her throat at the memories this brought back. Unfortunately she'd forgotten how perceptive her son was as Jim wrapped his free arm around her shoulders.

"Count on it," he replied, tightening his grip on both of them as he looked over his mom's head at Joanna.

"Boys let's go down stairs and let her sleep," Winona said softly clearing her throat.

Even though McCoy knew sleep was the best thing for Joanna, Jim and Winona had to practically drag him back down stairs, a part of him wanted to stay and watch over her. The understanding look Winona gave him as he finally followed them towards the living room and her reaction to Joanna's injuries, made him wonder just what he was missing.

Jim froze in the living room doorway for a moment, looking at the picture over the fireplace. He'd only seen a small version of his parents' wedding picture years before at his grandparents. Suddenly he remembered the plaque and bolted back out. Winona looked down hurt by his response; it only took a moment for Bones to realize what Jim was up to though.

"Winona, don't worry, he'll be right back," he told her even as he mentally cussed Jim out for just running off without saying anything.

"I hoped that hanging that there would help, somehow. I packed everything up in the attic when he was a baby. I just couldn't take the reminders; then after a while I just couldn't bear to talk about him, so I didn't and that just made it worse. For a while I think Jim hated me for it, I know Sam did. Then when you finally stopped that bastard Nero, all I could think about was the fact that he was so like G-George, even though he never knew him. And I realized that was my fault. After he went back to the ship, I finally made myself start going through the things up there. This was one of the first things I found, I had to put it back where it belonged," Winona explained running her fingers gently over the bottom of the frame.

"Mom, I'm sorry. Seeing the picture reminded me I left this upstairs, that's all," Jim said from the doorway. He slowly crossed the room never taking his eyes off the picture; his Dad in his dress uniform and a younger version of his mom in her wedding dress, smiling at each other seemingly oblivious to the camera.

"Here Mom, I wanted you to see this," he said handing her the plaque. "Adm. Pike said the _Excelsior_ found it drifting three years ago. They'd picked up the transponder signal. From what he told me it took a while to figure out whose it was, 'cause the signal wasn't in the current system and markings were screwed up. He was going to give it to me at graduation but everything was so crazy. So he presented it to me at the end of the memorial to the Kelvin."

Winona could hardly believe that George's ring had been found after all these years. But as she looked closer she could hardly breathe; yes it had to be.

"Jim, I can't believe they found his rings. Oh God," she gasped running her finger over the marks, tearing up.

"What? Mom, there's only one." Jim asked as both he and Bones moved closer.

"Right here, see how the color's different? Like two colors mixed together, silver and faint tarnished gold?" she said pointing. Jim nodded as he saw what she was talking about.

"So that's Dad's -wedding ring?"

Winona nodded. "He wore them stacked because that was the only finger the transponder would fit, without driving him crazy; he couldn't stand to have a ring on his right hand for some reason. It was a new one; he'd somehow managed to lose the other down the septic system in the quarters we used at our last stop. We were going to get it resized for his middle finger as soon as we got back," she explained with a slightly watery chuckle at the memory of George's fussing about the ring.

"I saw it but I just thought that it got discolored during the crash or while drifting," Jim said in awe staring at the discoloration on the side of the remains of the other ring.

"It's ok, Jim. You weren't expecting it to be anything but one ring and I hadn't thought about it since you were born," she told him still staring at the plaque in her hand, grasping his arm.

"Ok so how are we going to work the sleeping arrangements?" Winona asked several minutes later after things had calmed down.

"I figured Bones and I'd take my room, Chekov and Sulu on the other side of the bathroom, Jo and Uhura next to them, if they want to share, and crap! That won't work. I think either Spock or Scotty would kill the other if we stuck them together," Jim scowled at the wall trying to work out something.

"Why would they have a problem Jim?" his mom asked.

"Scotty's all over the place. He's brilliant but erratic, think Jim on a permanent caffeine high. Spock, well he acts like a damn computer a lot of the time, still. He's real reserved I guess is the best human description. You really have to look to tell what he's thinkin', and ya still can't tell half the time," Bones explained trying to find the best way to describe the two polar opposite officers.

"Bones I keep telling you, you have to watch his eyes. If we leave the girls together and Sulu and Chekov, how about if Spock and I split that leaves you and Scotty?" Jim suggested.

"I don't think I've got enough sedatives with me," Bones replied rolling his eyes at the memory of the last time he'd had to bunk with their Chief Engineer.

"What do you mean?" Jim asked in surprise.

"Jim, I had to bunk with him durin' the evacuation of the settlement on Tantalus V. He snores, loudly; it's like some of those old cartoons they used to play on Saturday mornin' and if he's not snorin' he's mumblin' in what I can only figure is some form of Gaelic or some kinda mechanical engineerin' language. Up till then the only times I'd seen him asleep he was in the Med Bay, sedated or so exhausted I don't think he had the energy. I ended up sneaking in with Chapel the second night, just to get some rest, and we could still hear him snorin' but at least that was all we could hear," McCoy explained glaring at Jim as he snickered at the mental picture of his best friend hiding with his head nurse.

"So that was what the noise was. I could hear it too but I thought it was something native," he chuckled remembering the sound. "You could have bunked with Spock and me, Bones. Any ideas Mom?"

"That back bedroom is a bit small for two so why not put Spock there and we can put Scotty in the den down here; or the other way if they want," Winona suggested after a moment's thought.

"That might work Jim. We might need to lock the food up at night though," McCoy said as he thought about it. "I would have but there wasn't room for three in one of those tents Kid. Remember that's why I ended up with Scotty? There wasn't room for him in with anyone else."

"Speaking of food, anything I ought to know about everyone's eating preferences before they get here so I can do the shopping tomorrow?" Winona asked as Leonard's remark jogged her memory.

"You know about Scotty's sandwiches, Spock's a vegetarian, and watch the spices, otherwise I think the rest of us are pretty normal. Bones, you remember anything about who eats what?" Jim said glancing at his friend.

"Not off the top of my head, so it's nothin' serious, Joanna hates brussel sprouts, I'm not too fond of asparagus, but I'm not sure about anyone else. Oh yeah don't feed Spock chocolate, the sugar's not good for Vulcans. And I really don't want to find out what it does to one that's half human, Jim," Bones finished, glaring at him before he could suggest it.

"Bones I wasn't even going to," Jim defended himself.

"Good to know. So what do you want for a late lunch?" Winona asked looking between the two of them and the clock on the wall.

Lunch was soup and sandwiches, and afterward Jim took Joanna and Bones on a quick tour of the farm, after Winona shooed them out so she could clean up. When she was done, she went looking for them and after about ten minutes, found them in the old shed that her ex-husband Frank had used for working on, among other things, the Corvette; George had always used the barn. It was the noise that led her to them; tapping, banging, and other odd noises.

When she looked inside she had to grin; there was her son, rooting through an old rusty toolbox, Joanna at his elbow trying to help and adding to the din as she knocked several things to the floor. Leonard was leaning against the smaller workbench in the corner, smirking at them. As Joanna turned to look at her Dad, Winona saw that one of them had found an old bandana and tied her hair back, though the red didn't go well with the pink shirt she was wearing.

"So what are you looking for Jim?" Winona asked as she stepped in out of the afternoon sun.

"Nothin really, I was looking to see what was out here. And if any Dad's tools were still here; what's left of them is in pretty sad shape. Scotty or Chekov might be able to help me do something with the electronics but the rest is just a rusty mess basically," Jim said turning away from the toolbox and wiping his wrist across his damp forehead.

Winona chuckled at the smear of dirt and rust he left, he looked at her oddly then wiped at his face again causing McCoy and Joanna to start grinning too.

"What the he-ck? Did I get it or what?" Jim asked looking even more confused as he tried again.

"Jim you should see yourself." Bones gasped, as another wave of chuckles hit him.

"Oh Jim, it's priceless," his Mom added leaning against the door frame. Joanna sat down giggling like a maniac and pointing at him.

"Ok anyone going to tell me what's so funny?" Jim asked crossing his arms over his chest, looking between his best friend and his Mom.

"Mirror," Winona gasped out pointing at an old side mirror hanging on the wall above the bench.

When he reached for it Jim noticed that his hands were a mess and had an idea of what set them off. Looking at himself was kind of funny. He had a streak across his forehead, another from the right side of his nose to his chin, and another on the left side of his face from his ear almost to his chin. It did look odd and he had to chuckle at the mix of brown, red and black.

"You had your fun. Can you point me to the water faucet? You too JoJo," Jim said smirking at them. Joanna wasn't anywhere near as messy he was but she still had streaks and spots of rust and dirt on her skin and clothes.

"He's right Darlin' you do need to wash up," McCoy said chuckling a bit as Joanna pouted at the news.

"The one by the front of the house is probably the best. I turned the ones out here off a few years ago," Winona told him grinning as they headed back to the house. "Jim those aren't your Dad's tools, well some probably were but most of his are still locked up in that extra tack room in the back of the barn; the one with all the cans and stuff in front of the door. You can get them out if you want. Just put them back when you're done please."

"Thanks Mom I probably will at some point," Jim replied as he turned on the water faucet and slipped off his shirt. "Ok JoJo you're next," he said a couple minutes later wetting the tail of his shirt to use as a wash cloth for her face.

After washing and a change of shirts for Jim and Joanna, they decided to unpack and finish getting settled. Winona offered to help Joanna, and soon Jim and Bones could hear them talking quietly in the other room.

"You want the top two or the bottom?" Jim asked indicating the dresser in the corner.

"Don't matter to me," Bones replied, digging through his bag as Jim started putting his clothes away. "Why'd you call top before?" he asked as Jim finished and closed the drawers.

"Well, one, you won't forget and fall out of it in the morning like you did on that simulation second year; and two, if Joanna has nightmares you're easy for her to get to or you to get to her," Jim told him seriously sitting on the lower bunk, kicking his duffel under the bed as Bones filled his two drawers. "I think she was too tired to have any last night, but there is a chance she will tonight. Remember our first term, and how many I had?"

"Yeah didn't get a decent night's sleep for close to a month 'cause of you," Bones grumbled sitting next to him trying to figure out what Jim's nightmares had to do with Joanna having them.

"Yeah I'm still sorry bout that by the way. It was how different everything was, and the fact that almost _all_ the teachers recognized me because of my Dad. The hand- to-hand started it I think, brought back memories. Finnegan coming after me every time he thought I showed him up, no matter what I did was too similar to Frank. So I ended up reliving the three worst years of my life every night. I know the fact that I could take him down in free fighting that quick pissed him off; and that he had no real advantage over me after a few weeks or so in the drills didn't help either. He just hated me for some reason," Jim explained.

"That wasn't really what I meant to get off onto though, Bones. After I got back from the hospital, when I was twelve, is when I started having those nightmares. Never had them at the hospital, but second night here and I was wakin up at least a couple times a night. I always woke up with Mom either by my bed or sitting on it, holding my hand. At times I blamed her for what happened but no matter what, she was always there when I woke up," Jim said quietly, looking at the wall next to the door.

"Hospital? Damnit Jim, stop talkin' riddles; I know you were in for something major but your records are sketchy at best right there. I'm already walkin' on eggshells with Jo. I know somethin' bout this got to ya, so talk to me," Bones told him, the thickening of his drawl a clear indication that he was worried

Jim looked at him and sighed. "Ok Bones I know you've never asked, but yes I've been through what JoJo has, only it went on for three years. Like I said they were the three worst years of my life. Mom married Frank Malone when I was nine, shortly after my Grandma Kirk died, and we tried to be a family. Hah that was rich. Frank was one of the guys at the 'Yards next to the labs where Mom worked. About six months later Mom got called to look at some plant or something that had been found. She'd been working at the science labs by the shipyards for almost nine years by then and they respected her, it always seemed like they'd call her first for that stuff, but this was the first time she'd left us with someone other than our grandparents. Anyway she went to help with the, whatever it was, for a couple weeks in Chicago. It was like day and night around here. Frank started drinking and Johnny and Sam and I tried to stay out of his way. It seemed to work until I left my ball and mitt on the stairs. All three of us slept in here afterwards, it was easier to keep me from waking Frank up crying. No one had ever laid a hand on Sam or me in our lives before. Well Mom, Grandma Mary and Grandpa Ty would swat our butts but that was it. We were ordered to say I'd fallen down stairs; it was mostly true, only I'd had help with the fall.

"That set the pattern for the next almost two years. Johnny and Sam tried to protect me when Mom left. I know they took the blame for me more than once. Then one morning Johnny was gone, he'd left a note saying that he'd be back for us as soon as he could. We never saw him again. It got harder after that. Mom and Frank called the cops and they looked but who knows where he went. That was roughly seven months after my eleventh birthday.

"About a year later Mom got called to the Lunar Station for a month. Frank decided to sell Dad's old Corvette without telling her so I drove off in it. Sam had left that morning, actually Frank threw him out, so I figured I had nothing to lose, Frank reported it stolen and the cops got after me, so I drove it into the quarry; that way Frank couldn't sell it." Jim said with a shrug.

"Frank was livid, thought that Sam had been in on it with me. When I, in his opinion, wouldn't tell him where Sam was he just lit into me harder. Last time I'd seen Sam he was hitch hiking but I wasn't going to tell Frank that. I ended up shut in the attic after a while. I still got no clue how long I was up there," Jim chuckled grimly, unconsciously running his hand over the faint scars on his left cheek.

"Only way up is a trap door and it's almost impossible to open from up there normally. I'd managed to get away from the door somehow and curled up in a corner. Frank had to report me and Sam missing, if he didn't the school summer programs we were in would have and that would have exposed what was going on. The news brought Mom back as soon as she could get a shuttle.

"For some reason she came up to the attic and found me. All I remember, is suddenly she was there crying and trying to figure out how badly I was hurt. I could hardly talk my throat hurt so much, but I guess I somehow told her Frank was responsible before I passed out again. Fact is I don't really remember a lot that happened after about a day after I drove the Corvette into the quarry. I woke up two days later in the hospital, Frank was in jail and Mom had filed for divorce and no one knew where Sam was still. I came home two weeks later and the nightmares started. Frank ended up in the state pen thankfully," Jim sighed staring at the wall, but not really seeing it.

"About eight months later, a few months after my thirteenth birthday, the news broke about Tarsus IV. Mom had been thinking of taking Sam and I there for a visit with her Aunt and Uncle and their family when she got back from the Station. That was before everything went to hell here, so it hit her kinda hard cause they didn't make it.

"Starfleet sent her, she argued and fought and finally got them to let her take me along. It was awful; we were part of the first group of ships to arrive after the news broke. All that devastation and death, because of a madman. The worst in a way was this group of kids that had been rescued and kept alive by another kid they called JT. No one knew what happened to him after Starfleet arrived, but they took to me because I was about the same age and to them we looked a bit alike I guess, we both had blonde hair, but from what they said his eyes were green. I ended up being sent with supplies and stuff to get them to come down out of the hills to the base and then working with Mom, Commander Pike, and a few others to take care of 'em and look for their families and all that for almost two months. They trusted me more than they would most of the officers. Pike got command of the Yorktown after the rest of the rescue force got back five months after we did. He and Mom were friends at the Academy but we never heard a word from him till he broke up the fight that night at the bar.

"After everything that happened, over the last year, I'd started fighting, getting into trouble more than I used to, to get away from the memories of Frank and what I'd seen and heard on Tarsus. I drove Mom crazy wondering what the next call might be about; some of them were pretty outlandish," he smirked, thinking of a couple things immediately.

"I was still going to school but I'd given up staying with the kids my age. I challenged my classes, and passed, I'd been working ahead anyway while we were on Tarsus to keep my mind off what was going on. I'd always been smart so no one really thought anything of it, since I'd already skipped a grade once, so I just kept going. I was going into my junior year at fifteen; but I was getting into more trouble than ever- drinking, girls, staying out all night. And Mom started taking more off planet jobs than usual, I found out later that some weird type of archeologist had found a bunch of stuff on Orion that translated into other fields, but at the time I thought she wanted to get away from me, so that made me that much worse," he said eyes still on the wall but seeing the past.

"My Dad grew up here so pretty much everyone knew him, and it felt like the whole town was always comparing me to him and I always came up short as I got older. So I made it my mission to remind Riverside that I wasn't my Dad, no matter what my last name was. I finished High School a few months past my sixteenth birthday and started taking some college courses both at Cornel College up in Mt Vernon, and their classes on the net; computers and a few mechanics classes. That's when I had to take the damn aptitude tests Pike got a hold of," Jim said shaking his head ruefully.

"Since the cops hadn't found anything about Sam or Johnny, I started my own search when I was eighteen. It was the one thing I found that I could use the computer classes for, at the time.

"I worked a bit as a mechanic for money, and kept taking classes, ended up finishing up a few degree courses, over the next six years. I actually finished one of the computer ones the day I met Pike again; I was out celebrating when 'Cupcake' started the fight. You know the rest," Jim just sat there, elbows on his knees waiting for Bones to say something.

"God Jim," Was all Bones said as he laid a hand on Jim's shoulder. "How bad were you hurt Kid?" he asked softly after a minute; it seemed almost impossible that Jim had managed to hide that kind of mental trauma from everyone, but it explained many of his quirks.

Jim's chuckle was humorless. "Pretty close to what I got two years ago by the time you got a look at me after Pike was stable. The concussion was just as bad but no skull fracture, and the ribs weren't just on my left side, plus a broken left collar bone and a dislocated right shoulder," Jim replied and saw his friend's eyes widen.

"I'm not even gonna to ask how you made it through that, Jim, but you're lucky to be here, you know that right?" Bones told him.

"Yeah I know," Jim replied softly.

"Who are Sam and Johnny? Your Mom mentioned Sam downstairs when you went after the plaque." Jim glanced down, then met Bones' gaze again.

"Sam's my older brother, George Samuel Kirk Jr., there's almost four years between us. Johnny is-was my step brother, Frank's son. He was two years older than me. It's kinda funny though folks that didn't know us thought that we were all Mom's kids; we looked enough like in coloring, except for our eyes." Jim said quietly.

"You said you started looking for Sam and Johnny. Did you ever find them?" Bones asked, hoping that he'd had some luck.

"Yeah a week after we left space dock, I got a comm. from Sam. He'd been trying to get a hold of me since everything happened, just couldn't get through. He said that a lotta shit happened after he left and he didn't come back cause he thought I was dead. When I drove past him with the cop following he tried to follow us, cut across the fields trying to make a shortcut, so he missed me turning into the quarry. He back tracked when he saw the smoke but the cop had already taken me back here and he thought I'd gone over with it, he panicked and just kept going; he didn't want to face Mom or Frank. Sam only found out I was alive after that survival course record I broke hit the news, but he never knew Frank was gone and that it was safe to come home. He's working on proving his thesis in botany down outside of Tampa Florida. He should be graduating from The University of South Florida this summer sometime. I hear from him about once a month or so, but we haven't managed to get together. I'm just glad we're talking; the last thing I said to him was to call him Johnny when I passed him in the Corvette. Nothing on Johnny though," Jim sighed then chuckled. "Not sure if I'm glad or sorry bout that."

They sat lost in thought for a few minutes. "Jim, I'm glad ya told me. I mean I've always wondered 'bout some of those scars and old injuries you've got, but I figured you'd say somethin' when you were ready. I know ya don't like to talk 'bout it b-. Hell I don't know what to do, Jim. I mean, shit, I've seen this I don't know how many times but damn it-," he broke off his drawl thickening slightly as he rubbed his hands over his face.

"Bones, we've got you. No problem," Jim reassured him, wrapping his arm around his friend's shoulders. "That's what family's for right?"

McCoy's head snapped up to look at him in surprise. "Yeah Jim, it is," he said. "Ya sure, bout countin' me as family though Kid?"

"I always have Bones. I told Pike when this started that you're the closest thing to a brother I've had since I was twelve. Nothing's gonna change that. I've needed someone to keep me in line and you- well needed someone to look after," Jim finished slightly nervous.

"Thanks Jim," Bones replied looking him in the eye. Jim nodded.

"Any time Bones. Why don't we go see what Mom and JoJo are up to? It's pretty quiet up here," he asked noticing how quiet the house was as they stood up.

They found them in the kitchen working on a shopping list for the next morning and making dinner.

"So what took you so long?" Winona asked when they stepped into the brightly lit kitchen.

"We got talking bout what's been going on and-" Jim started.

"Jim I understand," Winona said touching his arm, as Joanna walked over to hug her Dad. "Is there anything special you boys want me to pick up?"

"Not really, Bud Classic would be nice, but so would some Coke. The synthesizers just can't get it right, no matter what Scotty does to 'em," Jim chuckled as his mom mock glared at him. "I'm serious about the Coke, the beer's optional. If you still have a grill, stuff for a cook out: hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, veggie burgers for Spock. I've been hungry for that chicken and rice dish with the salad dressing and jelly lately for some reason."

"Salad dressing and jelly on chicken, are you sure that's edible?" Bones asked dubiously, he knew Jim ate some strange things if let to his own devices but that seemed a bit much.

"You'll have to describe it better than that Jim," Winona added, brows furrowed trying to think what recipe that might match.

"Let's see you put the rice in the pan, I think, chicken on top, then mix a red salad dressing, uh some mayo maybe, and some kind of chunky yellow-orange-ish jelly and water and pour over the chicken. There might have been that onion soup stuff in there too. What?" he asked as his mom started laughing.

"I know which one you mean; it was the way you described it. It's Russian dressing, and apricot pineapple marmalade and mayo. But you managed to cross it with another dish. That one you do put the rice in with the chicken, this one you don't. I'll put that down for sometime this week. It does sound good now that you mention it," Winona explained as she added what she needed to the list, and then started laughing again at the look on McCoy's face. "Don't worry Leonard it's a lot better than it sounds. Jim, get the family recipe book down after dinner and let him read through it. Wash up now, dinner's almost ready."

Later as he sat at the kitchen table and looked over the recipes in the old notebook, with Joanna curled up in his lap; he listened with half an ear to Jim and Winona's conversation about the local happenings while they washed the dishes.

"Jo, why don't you head on up and get ready for bed? I know you slept on the shuttle and after we got here but ya still need your rest," McCoy said as she started yawning.

"Ok Daddy. I'll be back down in a bit," Joanna said through another yawn, before kissing him and walking out, still limping slightly.

"She's a sweetheart Leonard," Winona said when Joanna was out of the room.

"I know, best thing in my life," McCoy replied honestly, Joanna was the only good thing to come out of his marriage.

"So did you find anything in there that sounded good or did you already have something in mind?" Winona asked glancing at the old cookbook in front of him.

"Actually I found a roast recipe in here that sounded good, reminded me of somethin' that my Grandma and Mama made when I was a kid," he told her flipping carefully to the page, as they leaned in to look over his shoulders.

"Hey I think I remember that one; isn't that the one Gramma Mary made every winter?" Jim asked as he finished reading.

"Yes it is. I'd almost forgotten about it. Well boys, what will it be first? Chicken or roast?" Winona asked a smile hovering at the corners of her mouth.

After a long glance they both announced "Roast."

"Ok I think I have everything already too. So I'll start it before I go shopping. Next question; who's going with me?"

After a bit of discussion it was decided that Jim and Winona would go alone this time so that McCoy could spend some time with Joanna.

When she came back down a few minutes later Joanna surprised and pleased Winona by shyly asking for a hug from her. After McCoy tucked her in, it wasn't long before the rest of them headed to bed as well.

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><p><strong>AN:** The chicken recipe actually exists and tastes really good, a mild sweet and sour. It's called 'Not the Same Old Chicken'. My mom got it out of a microwave cookbook and I've adapted it for the oven. Bones' reaction is similar to my husband's the first time I read him the ingredients.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Unfortunately I only own the people you DON"T recognize. Damnit!

To those authors out there that have written Sarek and Winona fics I'm not trying to make fun of them as a couple or your writing. Actually I'd totally forgotten about the pairing when I wrote this chapter, I was looking for the most unlikely couple from Jim's POV. I also picked them because they're the only parents we know really anything about as well. I'm not trying t offend anyone.

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><p>A scream woke them in the middle of the night. Bones rolled out of bed instantly awake as Jim dropped off the top bunk right behind him; they headed for Joanna's room with Winona a couple of seconds behind them, hitting the hall light switch as she passed.<p>

Joanna was sitting up in bed sobbing as her dad dropped onto the edge of the bed and held her. After a pause Jim settled on the opposite side of the bed, gently resting a hand on her back. Winona sat at the foot of the bed close enough to rest a hand on her legs. She settled down after a few minutes and snuggled hiccoughing slightly into her father's arms.

"What was it Jo? Can ya tell me?" McCoy whispered.

"It's alright JoJo," Jim told her softly, making her look at him and shake her head.

"H-He'll get me," she whispered.

"No, he won't JoJo I promise he's locked up tight. If by some astronomical disaster he got out, he'd have to get past the crew of the _Enterprise_ and a good part of Starfleet, plus your dad, Mom and me to get anywhere near you," Jim assured her rubbing her back.

"H-he was ch-chasin' me but I kept goin' s-slower. Then right as t I g-got to the stairs he was gonna push me and I-I woke up," Joanna whispered after a few moments.

"Oh Honey, you're safe here, we'll make sure of that," Winona said gently patting Joanna's blanket covered legs. "Joanna, do you want one of us to stay with you?"

"Daddy," she replied looking up at him.

"Ok Darlin', tell Jim and Miss Winona good night and lay down," McCoy told her standing up.

Jim scooted over a bit and hugged her. "Night JoJo, it'll get better, I promise," he whispered to her dropping an impulsive kiss on top of her head.

"Night Uncle Jim, Miss Winona, sorry for wakin' ya," she replied, yawning as he got up and moved to stand at the door.

"Don't worry about it, Joanna. Nightmares are nothing new around here Honey," Winona told her as she stood and carefully tucked her back in, before hugging her. "Sweet dreams Joanna," she said as she joined Jim.

"We'll see you in the morning Kiddo, night," Jim waved as he followed his mom down the hall. "She'll be ok Mom," he said softly as he turned the hall light back off.

"It still brings back a lot of memories. See you in the morning Jimmy."

"I know Mom, but we're here for her, we'll keep her safe. I love you," he replied leaning down to place a quick kiss on her cheek and head back to bed.

Bones laid down on top of the covers as Joanna snuggled against him. "Night Jo, sweet dreams, I love you," he told her as her breathing evened out.

The next morning after breakfast, Joanna came down stairs with her brush and several hair ties.

"Daddy can you help me with my hair?" she asked standing in front of where he was sitting on the couch.

"I'll try Jo but I'm a bit outta practice Darlin'," McCoy replied motioning for her to sit on the floor in front of him.

A few minutes later he had to give up. "Jo, you're gonna have to ask Miss Winona to fix ya up this mornin', all I'm doin's makin' a big ole mess outta your hair."

"Ok Daddy," Joanna said disappointedly turning to look at him.

"Hey Darlin' it's ok, give me a couple days to get back in practice and I'll be able to help you. I've been a doctor not a hairdresser for the last five years," he told her giving her a hug. "Winona?" he called.

"Yes Leonard?" she replied coming out of the kitchen.

"Can you help me get Jo's hair fixed? I just seem to be makin' a rats nest out of it this mornin'."

"Of course I can," Winona replied coming to sit with them. "Though I'm not sure how good I'll do, I never had anyone's hair to fix but my own," she admitted as she carefully began to run the brush through Joanna's hair.

"Well you're doin' better than me, the closest I've come in the last five years to fixin' hair is handin' one of my nurses a clip or pin to put theirs' back up, or handin' them ribbons and the like when we had refugee kids on board," McCoy said as he watched Winona gently pull Joanna's hair up into a pony tail.

Once the kitchen cleaned up Jim and Winona got in the van and headed into Riverside for groceries. McCoy settled in the living room with Joanna to check on her injuries and then watch a movie.

"Daddy, why'd ya send Uncle Jim in to get me?" she asked suddenly as he was putting the tricorder away.

"I was all set to go get you Jo but Jim stopped me and made me stay outside," McCoy replied carefully. For once he was glad that he'd gotten a degree in psychology at the Academy.

"But why?" Joanna asked again watching as he sat down on the arm of the couch facing her.

"Because he was tryin' to protect the three of us," he did his best to explain why Jim had done it. Though with what he now knew about his friends past his actions yesterday made more sense.

"What?"

"Jim hates to have anyone he cares about or is responsible for hurt; that's part of the reason he ends up in the Medbay so often. That's also why he didn't put you down while I was checkin' you over. He made sure he had to help me take care of you to keep himself from doin' somethin' stupid. He was madder than I've seen him since right before Spock knocked him out after Vulcan was destroyed about you bein' hurt."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense, 'cause he was almost vibratin' when he was carryin' me. I love you, Daddy," she said as she hugged him.

"I love you too Darlin'," McCoy replied as he held her close pressing a kiss to her temple. "Do ya still want to watch a vid or do you want to do somethin' else?"

"A vid Daddy," Joanna replied with a slight smile.

"Ok let's see what Miss Winona has," McCoy replied as they moved over to the shelf of vids beside the screen.

After Jim and Winona got home and they helped put away the groceries, Joanna and Jim rummaged out some old games that were in the hall closet. They played several hands of cards on the porch until it was time to get lunch. Afterwards they took a walk around the farm. As they walked, Jim and Winona took turns sharing memories of the farm and the better moments of his childhood.

The roast that night was voted delicious. They played some other games after dinner, until it was time for Joanna to head to bed. She woke them screaming again, and finally fell asleep after her dad promised to stay with her.

On Monday morning, Jim visited a lot of his former haunts, including a stop at the Riverside PD. After explaining what was going on they agreed to take his statement then, and Bones' and Joanna's when she was a bit more settled.

McCoy's conversation with Joanna's school on Monday started out frustrating the hell out of him as the administration at first didn't want to listen and tried demanding to speak to Jocelyn. They finally agreed to send her work to his mailbox after a dressing down by Winona; Jim wished he could have been there for that but he'd been at the police department when it happened.

They helped Winona go through some more boxes from the attic, enjoying the stories that were connected to many of the things. Some of the things they found reminded McCoy of stories from his own childhood which Joanna was delighted to hear.

Making dinner was a communal effort as well as a source of fun and afterwards it was either stories of their adventures and misadventures on the ship and at the Academy, or playing games, until Joanna's bedtime. Rhymer and Admiral Pike continued to keep them updated every night after Joanna went to bed on what they and the APD were finding out on the cases. After their calls talk would turn to Joanna, and the breakthroughs or setbacks in the case, and the changes having kids on board would bring.

McCoy relaxed as the week went on, just enjoying watching Joanna heal and slowly start to return to the sweet opinionated girl that he'd seen during their comms. He knew she had a ways to go before she was truly alright, but watching her chase Jim around the back yard with the hose Tuesday afternoon was enough to give him hope that even with the court cases hanging over their heads, they both had people to lean on and things would get better.

On Wednesday they all drove into Riverside to get groceries and do some other shopping. Joanna stuck close to her Dad and Jim the whole time. But other than people coming up to talk about Starfleet, the memorials or ask questions about missions they weren't bothered. It was an uneventful trip until Joanna spotted a black, flat brimmed cowboy style hat* in a store window.

"Daddy, it's perfect for ya," She kept insisting until he agreed to try it on.

"I have to agree with her Bones. And if we need to hide you from the media, you're pretty unrecognizable," Jim told him once he had it on.

"Yeah I guess; just never thought I'd be seen wearin' one of these though," McCoy grumbled good-naturedly as he paid for it and they left.

As the week went on Jim wasn't certain but it seemed that Joanna's nightmares were happening later in the night. She still woke them up screaming, but the last couple nights had been more of a cry than a scream. Jim didn't blame her though; he still had nightmares too occasionally but had learned to stop himself from screaming when he woke, most of the time. He hoped that was a skill she wouldn't need to learn.

Thursday night, Joanna managed to stop herself from screaming when she woke up. She bolted up in bed, staring frantically around the room sure that whatever had been chasing her was somewhere in the shadows. Sobbing she bolted out of bed and into the hall. All she cared about right then was that her Daddy was just past the bathroom, as she hurried past the dim nightlight. Joanna quickly opened the door and headed across the room for the bottom bunk. As she reached out to try and wake him up his eyes opened.

The door opening had disturbed McCoy, but for a moment he ignored it thinking it might be Winona checking on them when he heard Joanna sobbing and almost running across the wood floor.

"Jo?" he murmured instantly awake. "It's ok, crawl in, you're safe," he whispered pulling back the covers.

Joanna quickly clambered in and burrowed into his shoulder sobbing. McCoy held her close, gently running his fingers through her hair and whispering in her ear that she was safe.

As she calmed down he felt the bed shake and looking up could just make out the faint outline of Jim's head peering down. A moment later he was gone again.

"Nightmare?" McCoy whispered.

"Uh-huh," Joanna whispered back nodding.

"You're safe now Darlin'. So go back to sleep Jo, I've got you," McCoy told her, a faint smile curving his lips as she nestled against him. McCoy's thoughts turned to all the times that she'd had a nightmare and come running to him when she was small. He'd missed this the last five years, having Joanna able to come running to him. The only people he'd wish these damn nightmares on were the ones that gave them to her, but they weren't worth the effort, even if he could. He fell asleep thinking that things might be getting better.

He woke up very early the next morning to his daughter pulling on the covers that he'd somehow managed to almost completely cocoon himself in. He helped Joanna get tucked back under the blankets as she snuggled against him, trying to keep a tight grip on them so he couldn't steal them again.

"S-orry Jo," McCoy mumbled half into the pillow as he dozed back off.

Friday after breakfast Winona announced that they needed to get the house picked up before the others arrived. Jim rolled his eyes at that but for once didn't whine about it. Once the dishes were done, everyone headed upstairs.

"Ok get your laundry together and take it down. I'll get it started, but you have to remember to finish it. Joanna if you need help holler," Winona said shooing them into their rooms as she headed into the bathroom. Joanna got started on her room, smiling as she listened to her Dad and Uncle Jim arguing in theirs over misplaced items.

"Jim, where's my- those aren't mine damnit; so quit throwin' 'em over here," McCoy demanded a few minutes later.

"Well I've never seen them before so they're not mine," Jim said, making Joanna giggle as she moved her laundry into the hall and started to try and wrestle the sheets off.

"Don't look at me that way Bones. Why would you even_ think_ I'd own a pair of bright pink shorts with a purple heart on the butt? Answer me that," Jim demanded, bringing both Joanna and Winona into the hall.

"Who knows with you sometimes Kid; they could be somethin' from an old girlfriend for all I know," McCoy groused as they got to the door and looked in.

Both men were glaring at the boxers lying on the floor between them. Neither Joanna nor Winona could help it; they started laughing at the identical looks of disgust on the guys' faces.

"Oh honestly Jim, Leonard, you two fight like you really are related. I'll take them; and they were your dad's Jim. I was wondering what happened to them after I found them in the attic Tuesday," Winona said chuckling at the dumbfounded looks on their faces as she picked up the very hot pink pair of boxers. "Need any help Joanna?" Winona asked as they left the room.

"Yes, I can't get the sheets off Miss 'Nona. Otherwise I think I've got it all. I might need a hand gettin' the laundry down too," Joanna replied between giggles as they walked down the hall looking at the boxers.

"Ok let me put these in my room and I'll help you," Winona said.

It took another hour and a half before the cleaning was done and the beds remade. After a picnic lunch out by the old barn, they tackled the down stairs and set up the bed in the den.

"Uncle Jim, when are you gonna to tell me 'bout the Kelvin and the other memorials?" Joanna asked at dinner that night.

"I was waiting for the others to get here, cause Mom recorded the Memorials and I thought that everyone might like to see them, Adm. Pike tells what happened on the Kelvin as well as anyone. Mom can fill in any details that he leaves out and answer and questions afterwards," Jim told her, remembering the promise he'd made while waiting for the shuttle to Iowa.

"Why? Y'all were there for the memorials," Joanna asked in surprise.

"Yeah but you don't see things the same way if you're involved with what's going on. During those things you tend to get so wrapped up in, or zoned out by, what's happening that you miss stuff. Like I know they read the names from the Kelvin and I think said something about returning something to me but I never heard a word of it, till they called my name. That was a shock, I thought they were naming me among the dead for a second," Jim explained with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

"Yeah, I had to jab him with my elbow to get him movin'," Bones added with a smirk at his friend as they cleared the table.

After dinner Jim checked his PADD again and found the last of the messages from the others passing on their arrival times. After rereading them, Jim started swearing under his breath.

"What's the matter?" Winona asked.

"Oh just a bunch of screwed up flight times. Spock, Uhura and Chekov are arriving at 12:30 and 1:00, Sulu comes in an hour and a half later, but Scotty somehow managed to get put on a flight that puts him here at 9:45 am. I'm just trying to figure out how we're going to get everyone here. Scotty says that there was some kind of problem with his original flight and the morning one was the only one they had till late Sunday night," Jim explained slightly exasperated.

"Jim I can get Mr. Scott, I have to go get groceries anyway so I can grab him on the way back. All you have to do is make breakfast. Then we can pack a lunch and get the others," Winona offered and watched her son smile.

"That'll work Mom. Let me send him a note so he isn't looking for me or Bones," Jim replied quickly typing a response and sending it. "Do you need a holo to find him?"

"I think I can manage, I have the ones you sent from the ship if I do. Does he have that little alien with him you've told me about, Keenser?" Winona asked.

"No he stayed in San Francisco; helping with a few of the tighter repairs; as in getting into places that are hard for the regular engineers to get at. He and Scotty worked it out weeks ago," Jim said setting his PADD on the coffee table.

"So everyone got leave but him?" Winona asked slightly shocked.

"No, no one could be aboard during the Memorials and the first half of this last week because of the decontamination sweeps, so Keenser got time to relax, then he went back up to help when they started the modifications on decks five and six. He volunteered to help with that as soon as he heard about it. Believe me I told him to take it off too but he just wouldn't budge on the fact that he was helping get the kids' areas ready," Jim told his mom.

"Fact is Keenser loves kids. We had a group of refugees on board durin' that evac on Tantalus V; 'bout twenty were kids of different ages," McCoy picked up the explanation. "The youngest was born on the ship. Anyway the older kids got bored and started pokin' round the ship. And before ya ask their folks did try to keep 'em outta the way, just not very hard. They ended up confined to quarters after they got caught in engineering," McCoy explained shaking his head remembering Scotty's reaction to that incident.

"The younger ones were just scared. Most had lost at least parts of their families, so I had some of the nurses and yeomen helpin' with them; a lot were sick or injured, by the older kids in some cases, and in Medical. The first time they saw Keenser they thought he was some kind of devil or somethin'. I guess some of the older ones had told 'em that there was one in engineerin' cause he was the one to catch them in there.

"I've never seen him take to anyone so fast. He wanted to help out too so I told him he could but to be careful; he's a lot stronger than he looks. The kids weren't too sure what to make of him; but a couple of days later my Head Nurse, Chapel, came runnin' into my office and told me I had to see somethin'. There was Keenser, in the corner holdin' one of the girls who wouldn't hardly let any of us near her, just hummin' some kinda lullaby to her. After that he was always poppin' up in with 'em," McCoy explained smiling at the memory of the rock-like little alien holding a small child.

"I hope I get the chance to meet him someday," Winona replied glancing at the clock. "Joanna, time for bed Honey."

"Oh alright, Miss 'Nona," Joanna half grumbled as she reluctantly put down her book and headed upstairs.

Jim looked over at his friend and grinned. "She's definitely your daughter, Bones. She even has the inflection down," he said starting to chuckle at the half annoyed look Bones sent him.

Even Winona had to chuckle, "He's right Leonard, other than the pitch that sounded like you the other day when Jim got you to go looking through the barn with him." McCoy rolled his eyes but managed to keep his mouth shut; which only made them laugh more.

The next morning at 7:20 Winona crept into what she'd come to think of again as 'her' boys' room to make sure Jim was up before she left. She had to smile at the sight of Joanna curled up back to back with Leonard, a death grip on the covers.

"Jim, wake up," she whispered, standing on her toes to nudge his shoulder.

"Humm. Wha-?" he mumbled blinking at her.

"Jim I need to head out in about ten minutes so I can get my errands done and get Mr. Scott from the terminal. That means you need to take care of breakfast. Remember?" she explained softly watching as he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face to wake up.

"Ok Mom I will," he said through a yawn.

"I'll see you in the hall Jim," she told him and left the room.

A couple minutes later Jim joined her, still rubbing his eyes, bare foot, and shirt in hand.

"Ok I'm up Mom," he said as they headed downstairs.

Winona poured them both coffee and sat down next to him at the table as he pulled his shirt on.

"Jim I had a question and I wanted to ask it just us," she said seriously, watching him closely.

"What's wrong Mom?" Jim asked worriedly reaching for her hand.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to ask you if it was alright with you I kept in touch with Joanna after you leave? I didn't want to say anything to her or Leonard without talking to you first," Winona said glancing at Jim nervously.

"Mom, I know she'd love it if you did and I don't mind, as long as you still talk to me too. As far as I'm concerned they're as much family as you and Sam. And right now I know they can use all the family they can get; this really threw Bones for a loop," he replied grinning with relief. "I thought that it was something serious like- I don't know, you marrying Spock's Dad or something," Jim continued chuckling, that was the most outlandish thing he could think of at the moment.

"No we're only dating," Winona said with a straight face just as Jim took a drink of his coffee, choked and sprayed it across the table.

"Mom!" he looked at her half horrified, as she laughed at his expression. "Mom that is _not_ funny! Don't joke about stuff like that, please," Jim said wiping his chin.

"I know but I couldn't resist. Jim you should have seen your face," she replied between chuckles.

"Ok, ok, I walked into that one," Jim admitted chuckling as Winona glanced at the clock.

"Sorry Jim but you asked for that. I'd better get going. I'll see you around 10:00 or so. Get the three of you a snack if you get too hungry; and start cooking around a quarter to ten," she stood and gave him a quick hug. "Don't burn the house down," she said grabbing her keys and leaving as Jim rolled his eyes.

Jim sat there for a while thinking over their conversation as he finished his coffee, it would do JoJo good to have someone else besides Mrs. Parker to talk to off the ship he decided, and it would give his Mom someone to spoil.

'She can be a grandma to her and then maybe she won't start on me settling down soon. Yeah right,' Jim thought as he started poking around the kitchen for what to make for breakfast.

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><p><strong>AN:** ***** If you've seen Priest then you know the hat I'm talking about. If not check out IMDB or image search for a picture of Karl Urban from the film; minus the teeth and gold eyes of course; the best ones I've found so far are of him looking back over his shoulder at the camera and a behind the scenes shot of him from the front with the clapper thing. I just couldn't get the image of him in that hat out of my head after seeing the movie so I had to use it, mostly because he definitely doesn't look like our favorite grouchy doctor in it. Lol


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Still Don't own them. Thank you to Bookdragon01 for the superfast Beta-ing on this chapter. Please read and review, I love hearing what you think.

I tend to write accents how they sound. I've cut back alot on how much I put in, still I apologize if Soctty's hard to read.

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><p>Winona hurried with her errands as much as she could; drawing a few comments about her unusual haste from the people she knew. All she did was smile and remind them that Jim was home. She pulled into the shuttle terminal a few minutes early and while she waited, pulled up the holos Jim had sent her of the bridge crew on her PADD. Some of them were pretty funny. Her favorite though was the one that Leonard had sent her of Jim sleeping in his command chair after a tough mission.<p>

There were several images of the chief engineer in the group. She'd been a bit concerned that she'd somehow miss him in the crowd but it was almost ridiculously easy to spot Montgomery Scott.

"Mr. Scott!" she called waving as he reached the bottom of the ramp. He glanced around for a moment before he spotted the blonde woman waving at him and hurried over.

"Ye mus' be Missus Kirk. Pleasure ta meet you," he said shaking her hand.

"It's good to finally meet you too, Mr. Scott. I've heard a lot about you from Jim, so please it's Winona. I don't mean to rush but I left Jim with orders to put together a late breakfast for all of us, and I've got groceries in the car," she said as they walked out to the van.

"Then it's Montgomery tae ye. An' tha' sounds wonderful Missus-Winona. Ah had tae skip my mother's this mornin' or Ah'da missed the shuttle. Ah overslept an' jus' managed tae bolt out the door in time tae make it. Ah think my nephew, Matty, fiddled wi' the alarm, cheeky little bugger, says he wants tae follow me an' be an engineer. No' likely if he keeps tha' up," Scotty replied cheerfully, staring out the windows as they started the trip to the farm.

"Well you never know what will happen as he grows up. I certainly never thought that Jim would join Starfleet, let alone become Captain of the flagship. How old is Matt?"

"He's goin' on twelve an' startin' tae think tha' he's the only one wi' any brains 'round the place. Ye know there's a part of me that'd love tae drop 'im in the middle of engineerin' and see what he does, bu' then Ah git thinkin' of all the damage he could do tae my engines an' Ah change my mind," Scotty said with a shudder.

Winona chuckled, "I used to feel the same way about Jim and pretty much any vehicle when he was that age. Who knows give him a few years to settle down and then see. You might be surprised at what he decides."

"Ye're right no sense in borrowin' trouble. Thanks." They rode in comfortable silence for a while then Scotty started asking questions about the area and the shipyards for the rest of the trip.

They arrived to a riot of breakfast smells.

"We're back." Winona called as they walked in.

"Hey Mom, Scotty; leave your bags in the living room for right now and come wash up." Jim told them coming out of the kitchen to help grab the groceries.

Entering the kitchen Scotty could hardly believe the amount of food, or the fact that his Captain was responsible for at least part of it. McCoy was standing at the stove stirring a pot of something that had Jim making faces as he poked around for a minute looking for something.

"Bones, you see the pot holder anywhere?"

"No Jim I haven't, why would I be keepin' track of somethin' I wasn't usin'?" McCoy answered rolling his eyes.

"It's over by the toaster Uncle Jim," Joanna said, and Scotty's attention snapped to the girl collecting the plates and silverware on the other side of the large room.

"Thanks JoJo," Jim said darting over then back to nudge the doctor out of the way of the oven and pull out a serving dish of bacon and place it on the table.

"Watch out JoJo, let me take those," Jim said a moment later rescuing the silverware off the stack of plates she was trying to bring to the table.

"Thanks Uncle Jim. Mornin' Miss 'Nona," Joanna said setting the plates down and coming to give Winona a hug.

"Good morning to you too, Joanna," she chuckled returning the hug. As she stepped back Joanna looked up at Scotty a faintly wary look in her eyes.

"Good mornin ta ya lass," Scotty said with a small smile. She really did look like her father, the same dark hair and hazel eyes.

"Mornin' sir," She replied softly, as he pulled out a chair and sat down facing her. Seated he was just slightly shorter than her, and he hoped it would put her at ease.

"Montgomery Scott at year service; an' ye are?" he asked offering his hand as if he didn't know.

"Joanna McCoy, Mr. Scott," She replied carefully taking his hand and giving him a ghost of a smile.

"Ah thought so. Lass ye look too much like year Da ta be anyone else. An' don't worry 'bout the Mister lass," he told her grinning as Joanna giggled at his accent.

"Daddy, need any help?"

"Not right now Jo, but thanks," her father replied pouring the contents of his pot into a bowl and bringing it to the table.

Jim started looking around for a minute, checking the oven and a few other places, then turned to the table. "Ok its ready, dig in," he announced cheerfully, motioning them all to sit.

As they ate Scotty kept darting glances at Joanna sitting across from him. He'd been in enough fights and accidents to be able to guess by the remains around her left eye that it had been one hell of a 'shiner' as his grandda had called them. The only other signs that something had happened to her were the fading shadows of bruises on her arms, the faint pink line from a dermal regenerator on her lip, and the wariness in her eyes.

Talk was what was tentatively planned for the rest of the week and anything that he wanted to do that they hadn't thought of. Afterwards he begged off going to get the others in favor of a nap.

As he unpacked in the den and got comfortable on the bed, he heard Joanna laughing outside with her father and thought about what had happened and the warning Winona had given him about Joanna's nightmares.

'Ah hope the lass can lose her nightmares, she an' the Doc don' deserve 'em,' was his last thought as he dozed off.

The terminal was busier so they had to work their way through the small groups of travelers and others waiting to get to the correct landing pad. Thankfully there weren't many others waiting. Fifteen minutes later the shuttle landed.

Uhura and Spock came down the steps, Uhura's hand rested in the crook of Spock's elbow, as usual when off duty, their version of holding hands. They were both more relaxed than they'd been when they'd left and Uhura was almost glowing.

Jim had to grin as they reached them, "Looks like you two enjoyed your trip."

"Indeed Captain, Kenya is partially a desert, so the climate was most agreeable," Spock replied his eyes just barely creased at the corners in a Vulcan smile at Jim's observation.

"True Spock, But I am glad you had a good time," he replied turning to Uhura. "I don't have to ask you how the trip went, you're almost glowing, Uhura." He was a bit surprised to see a faint blush appear on her cheeks.

"Thanks Kirk," she said with a faint chuckle.

"Spock, Uhura I want you to meet my Mom. Mom, these are two of my best officers and friends, Cmdr Spock and Lt Nyota Uhura," Jim said.

"It's wonderful to finally meet both of you," Winona told them, shaking hands with Uhura and retuning Spock's bow with a smile.

"I hope we aren't putting you to any trouble, Mrs. Kirk," Uhura said as they started for the van.

"No trouble Lieutenant, the house is really too big for just me, so it's a nice change to have it full. And please call me Winona, both of you," Winona replied.

"We brought lunch since Chekov is due in half an hour and Sulu at 2:30." Jim said pulling out the cooler as they loaded their luggage in the back.

Lunch was spent talking about their trips and bouncing ideas around for what was going to happen with having children on board.

Chekov of course was his usual slightly hyper self when he arrived and had them laughing over his family's antics, particularly his grandmother, who was, at 102, getting hard of hearing but refused to admit it or get anything done about it.

They wandered around the small terminal, window shopping and talking until they had to meet Sulu's shuttle. Then they headed back to the farm.

"I hope Bones remembered that he was in charge of dinner tonight. I really don't want to cook on short notice," Jim remarked to his Mom as they turned onto the road to the farm.

"Oh I'm sure either Joanna or Scotty reminded him," Winona replied with a smile. "Besides it wouldn't kill you to have to make another meal today, Jim."

"You can cook? That's a shock Kirk," Uhura remarked, over hearing them.

"Not really Uhura, I had to eat somehow when Mom was off planet. Who did you think helped make lunch? I'm not great but at least you won't starve," Jim replied, glancing back at her. "The only time you would have found out about my being able to cook was on that mission to Epsilon Alpha IX and I wasn't going to endanger the conference to try and help. You and Chapel did fine on your own, though I'm still wondering what that one dish of Chapel's was."

"Me too. Whatever it was sure was awful, but the rest of what she made was good," Sulu joined in.

"Come on guys she tried. If I remember right, she said it was supposed to be potatoes au gratin. At least none of us were poisoned by any of it. And it was better than what our hosts were eating," Uhura defended her friend's cooking mishap.

"I vill agree zhat zhe dish vas not so good, but it vas much better zhan vhat our 'hosts' vere having," Chekov added.

"That's true. The natives were eating bugs and partly cooked birds and stuff. We had to explain to them that to us it was inedible because of our physiology, so being a good patriarchal society they 'allowed' the ladies to prepare food more to our taste," Jim clarified for his Mom who made a face at the idea of the planet's idea of food. "Our sentiments exactly Mom; it was probably a good thing Bones was back on the ship treating Martin's broken arm by 'dinner' time," he chuckled as they pulled up in front of the house.

Joanna came running out ahead to greet them. After hugging Jim, Winona, Uhura, and Spock, she cautiously approached Sulu and Chekov as they were unloading to help with the bags. An hour later as everyone met to help with dinner and talk, Joanna had relaxed again and was peppering them all with questions, as they shared details of their shuttle trips.

When Jim mentioned about the recordings of the Memorial, as they cleaned up the kitchen, they agreed to watch the first one that night and at least the one for Vulcan the next. Jim brought down the plaque while they were waiting for Joanna to change into her pajamas, since everyone wanted to see it again and hear about the rings' history.

About halfway through the recording Spock sat up even straighter.

"Jim, rewind it please," he said urgently as Jim picked up the remote and hit the button, trying to figure out what Spock might have seen to make him react so surprised. "Stop now play it slowly. I'll tell you when to stop."

"Ok, Spock," Jim said as the camera panned over the crowd of Ambassadors.

"Stop. Look straight back from my father's head at the back row and across to our right," Spock told them, getting up to point at the screen.

There in the back row was a group of Romulans, even the hooded robes they wore couldn't totally conceal their shaved heads, and the faint signs of tattoos.

"Oh my God!" Uhura gasped as she identified them. "It's a delegation from Romulus."

"Pointy-eared bastards," McCoy muttered darkly. After the Narada he didn't trust Romulans as far as he could throw the _Enterprise._

"Yes, my Father, or more likely, Ambassador Selek must have convinced them to come," Spock added clearly awed.

"I know your father's an Ambassador, Spock but who is Ambassador Selek? I've never heard of him," Winona asked, puzzled by the name.

"Ambassador Selek is the one who assisted Jim on Delta Vega; though he's actually my elder self," he explained quietly indicating the elderly Vulcan at the opposite end of the Vulcan delegation, aware of everyone's eyes on him.

"How can there be an older you, Mr. Spock?" Joanna asked in confusion looking from the old man on the screen to the young one. Spock looked a bit helplessly at Jim not sure how to explain it to her.

"The way Ambassador Spock, er, Selek explained it to me, Mom, Joanna, was that he tried to stop a huge supernova before it reached Romulus; but before he could get there it sped up unexpectedly and destroyed the planet. He did manage to stop it by making it a black hole. But as he was trying to get back he got attacked by Nero, and both got sucked into to the black hole.

"Unfortunately Nero went in and came out first and attacked the Kelvin, then spent the next twenty-five years, we found out later, on a Klingon prison planet. He broke out and managed to capture the Ambassador as he came out of the black hole, then marooned him on Delta Vega so he could 'watch' as Vulcan was destroyed.

"Our Spock marooned me there because it was the closest planet, and he didn't want to listen to me argue with him anymore. The older one saved me from getting eaten by this nasty red monster, a henguraggi and we traveled to the outpost and met Scotty," Jim explained carefully remembering how hard this could be to swallow.

"He's righ', they came in an' woke me up. Th' older one gave me the correct formula ta git us back on the _Enterprise_. Wha' he wrote an' what Ah'd had done almost matched, 'cept one part was slightly different. Ye see, Ah hadn't thought of space bein' wha' moves in tha' kinda beaminin', but it's like a warp drive equation tha' way," Scotty said getting a bit excited in his explanation even though only Spock and Chekov totally followed what he was saying.

"I think all of us thought that Jim had gone crazy when he started tryin' to explain why he'd done what he had to get Spock to step down as Captain. Especially when he started babblin' 'bout an older Spock. I don't think any of us was quite sure if we should believe the two of them, till Jim pointed out the logic of the argument for the Narada being from the future, and got us all thinkin' again 'stead of just reactin' like we had been," McCoy added with a glance at the others. "I don't think any of us realized we were all in some form of shock until then."

"I have also talked with my elder self. It was he who encouraged me to remain in Starfleet, and rejoin you on the _Enterprise_, though he did not mention the ship specifically. He did advise me to forgo logic and 'do what felt right'. I had felt equally compelled to both follow my human desires as well as my duty to my Vulcan heritage, but I did as he suggested and have felt like I have found where I am most suited to be." Spock explained softly sending a glance at Uhura then down at his hands in slight embarrassment.

"Well we definitely wouldn't be the same ship without you, Spock. We're glad to have you," Jim told him with a small smile as he restarted the recording.

Afterwards Joanna told everyone sleepy good night, hugging Spock twice, before heading up to bed.

"Anything I should know about sharing a bed with her, Len?" Uhura asked after she was gone.

"She loves to snuggle is about all. It could just be that she does it to keep me from stealin' the covers but she stays plastered to me when she comes in after a night mare," he replied softly.

"Well I'm going to head up myself. See you in the morning. Where is a good place for a morning workout?" Sulu asked yawning.

"Behind the garage is where I've been doing mine, Sulu," Jim told him.

"Sounds good, I'll try not to wake anyone. Good night," Sulu said heading upstairs with a wave. They all soon followed his example and found their own beds.

The next morning Uhura met McCoy waiting outside the bathroom.

"Morning, Len," she said leaning back against the wall beside him with a yawn.

"Mornin', Uhura, how'd you two sleep?"

"Very well actually; it just must be you, Len, because other than right after she woke up she stayed on the other side of the bed," Uhura chuckled at the look of surprise on his face as Jim opened the bathroom door.

"Morning, Uhura. Whoever was next go ahead, I'm going to start the coffee. See ya downstairs," he told them as he headed for the kitchen. Jim managed to keep from laughing until he was in the kitchen at the conversation he'd overheard and the look on Bones' face.

That night Spock asked to speak with Jim and Winona. "I do not wish to offend either of you but I may need to slip out during the Memorial recording," he explained quietly as the others were getting settled to watch it.

"No problem Spock, we understand," Jim assured him.

"Take all the time you need, Spock. I know this has to be hard on you. It took me years to be able to sit and listen or read what happened to the Kelvin," Winona added letting her hand hover over Spock's sleeve not quite touching him but unable to totally stop the gesture.

"Thank you, Captain, Winona. I will try not to disrupt the others," Spock replied shifting slightly, letting Winona's fingers just brush across the fabric as he turned.

The next few days flew by; Winona reveled in having them there and took tons of holos: Sulu teaching Joanna to fence, and working with Chekov on his technique; Jim, Spock, Leonard and Sulu sparing; Spock teaching Joanna the beginning movements of Vulcan martial arts, and working with the others on more advanced techniques. Uhura and Joanna curled up under a tree or on the couch in the late afternoons as she taught the girl Swahili and greetings in a few of the more common Federation languages. The stories of their visits home were some of her favorites; Nyota and Spock telling of dances, relatives, and animals, Sulu of his cousins and their wedding and family traditions, Chekov and Scotty's large extended families' antics.

The funniest incident though was Monday afternoon when Jim brought out an old motorcycle he and Bones had found in the back of George's tool room. George had bought it just before the last mission as something to work on with Sam after the baby was born and had hidden it back there as a surprise for him; thankfully Frank hadn't found it. Jim wanted to try and get it running and they all joined in to help.

From the moment they started working on it the teasing and jokes hardly stopped. Everyone ended up covered in grease, oil, and other dirt after a few mishaps getting the engine out and disassembled. The only tense moment was when Joanna had forgotten and covered Spock's eyes, leaving him with a handprint mask, he froze at the inadvertent slight telepathic connection and it took him a minute to recover and realize why they were breathing sighs of relief and grinning. But by the time they called it a day and started cleaning up the bike was running. Cleaning up added to the mess but they made the best of it. Winona was the cleanest so she volunteered to get their clean clothes. And it took awhile for everyone to get a turn to use the closet like mudroom bathroom, but Winona wouldn't let them upstairs until most of the grease and grime was off.

After dinner Joanna went to apologize to Spock. "I'm sorry Mr. Spock I didn't mean to hurt you, I just forgot 'bout you being a telepath," she almost whispered when she found him sitting on the porch.

"Joanna I am not angry at you. And you did not injure me with your touch; you inadvertently touched one of the main cerebral telepathic points for Vulcans. Since I was not expecting it my mind was not prepared, and you -startled me That is all," Spock assured her calmly.

"I'm glad you're ok. Are there others that I need to be careful of?" Joanna asked puzzled.

"My hands and face are the most sensitive Joanna. The same is true for any Vulcan. Though I am- relieved- that you are comfortable enough with me that you forgot that I am not totally human, not many people do," Spock replied calmly.

"I'll remember that, and try not to do that again. I've heard too much about you from Daddy and Uncle Jim to be scared of ya or anythin'. So ya look different, so do all of us," she smiled at him before heading back inside.

Early Tuesday morning they were woken by a call from Rhymer reminding them that they still needed statements from McCoy and Joanna. Jim told him that he'd made arrangements at the Riverside PD, and Rhymer promised to pass that along to Capt Logan who'd woken him asking if he had them.

Breakfast brought a call from Captain Logan, warning that Jocelyn's lawyers were planning on showing up that afternoon to get a statement; McCoy thanked them, and surprised everyone but Jim by shutting himself in the mudroom bathroom and swearing viciously for several minutes before placing a call back to Rhymer with the news. Rhymer promised to be on the next shuttle and meet them at the police department.

"The interview went about as well as expected," Rhymer reported that night over dinner. He'd arrived half an hour before Jocelyn's lawyers and used that time to good effect, by warning the police chief of the history of relations between the firm and McCoy. "They tried to pull a cheap trick thinking that as small as Riverside is they'd get away with it."

"What did they try to do?" Uhura asked not trying to hide her irritation.

"They tried to present paperwork to allow them to question Joanna alone for an unlimited amount of time," Rhymer reported causing more than a few scowls and mutters from the rest of the table. "Fortunately it was the same law firm from five years ago, different partner. Captain Harris had already called in Judge Ray Bone when I told them what happened five years ago. Judge Bone took one look at the paperwork and threw their stuff out. Then he chewed them out for trying to intimidate a minor and thinking that just because they were in a small town that they could run rough shod over the law," he finished with a chuckle.

"Judge Bone is still on the bench? Man I got hauled in front of him once, he's worse than you on a tear Bones," Jim said shooting his friend a look.

"Oh I don't know, Jim, he seemed like a pretty good guy to me," McCoy drawled back.

"He is, just not when you're the one on his bad side," Jim replied.

"And what mischief were you involved in to accomplish that?" Spock inquired.

"I, uh, got in a fight on Main Street one night and, uh, a couple windows got broke. I wasn't the one throwing rocks, just the only one they caught. I gave the cops the names 'cause they started it by jumping me, but they all alibied each other and by then I'd been in enough trouble that no one wanted to believe me, especially Detective Gerard. I think Judge Bone was the only one that really looked at the case. He said that he understood I was defending myself, but still chewed me out for fighting, Gerard for using me as a scapegoat, and once they got the others in there, chewed them out for everything else. I still got sentenced to community service but the others got that and a week in jail," Jim explained, as Scotty started chuckling, and Joanna finally managed a small smile.

Joanna had been almost silent since they got back and Jim could tell the others, especially Bones, were worried. As soon as the table was cleared, he tapped her on the shoulder as Rhymer took his leave, he was catching a red eye back to San Francisco.

"JoJo, I need to check and make sure that stuff's locked up, you wanna keep me company?" Jim asked hoping that getting her alone would get her to talk; it usually worked with her Dad.

"Ok, Uncle Jim," she responded quietly and went to get her shoes.

It didn't take long to check the outbuildings but Jim hadn't gotten her to talk so he led her back to the area behind the garage they used for exercise and sat down in the grass at the far edge.

"I know it's hard to talk about what happened, but it does get better. I promise," he told her softly leaning back on his hands watching her from the corner of his eye.

"How would you know?" she shot back, her McCoy temper starting to get the better of her.

"I had a stepfather like Victor when I was your age; his son and my brother tried to keep me safe when Mom was off planet but there wasn't much they could do. And he was careful so that she wouldn't know and threatened us to make sure we wouldn't tell," Jim explained, glancing at Joanna; her eyes were wide but it was too dark to really read her expression.

"This isn't one of your stories is it, Uncle Jim?" she asked, with a blend of suspicion and hope.

"No, JoJo, I kinda wish it were sometimes," Jim sighed, and told her a bit about Frank, and what happened to him, Sam and Johnny. They sat in silence for a few moments after he finished before she started crying.

Jim gently scooped her up and let her burrow into his shoulder, murmuring the same kind of nonsense he'd heard Bones using after her nightmares.

"JoJo, you can talk to any of us ok? Even if some of us never went through this we can listen," Jim whispered to her as she sat back and looked at him.

"Ok but Daddy's mad at me. I mean ya didn't see his face, I ain't never seen him so angry," Joanna said softly leaning against him again.

"Joanna, he loves you and I can promise you one thing; he's not mad at you. Remember how I reacted when I opened the box room door?" he felt her nod. "Did you think I was mad at you?"

"No," she whispered.

"I was furious at the fact that you were hurt, but not at you. That's what your Dad's going through Sweetheart, he's mad at your Mom and Victor, but he's also mad at himself for not being there to stop it. Heck so are all of us," Jim explained.

"But Uncle Jim, the more I said the worse he got," she protested.

"Joanna, you have a good imagination right?" Jim asked her.

"Yeah," Joanna replied, puzzled.

"Well so does your Dad, as you were talking his mind was 'seeing' what happened to you. Like yours does when we tell you stories about stuff that's happened on the ship. But you are the most important person in the world to him so the idea of you hurt deliberately-," Jim trailed of and swallowed hard. "Right now all his training and everything he knows about medicine can only do just so much to really help make this better for you and it's tearing him up, 'cause he hates feeling helpless more than anything," he finished looking down at her.

"I think I understand, but he scared me a bit," Joanna said slowly thinking about his explanation.

"JoJo, let me guess he looked like he did this morning before he shut himself in the bathroom?" Jim asked chuckling slightly.

"Uh-huh only worse, but he wouldn't leave me," she said softly.

"He's what I've heard Nurse Chapel call a 'mother hen' where you're concerned right now. So he's not going to leave you with anyone unless he knows they'll do anything necessary to keep you safe. I think the only people he really trusts you with right now are the six of us from the ship, Mom and Adm. Pike. He acts the same way with me when any of us get hurt, me especially. Did you know that noise we heard outside after you got back was him out in the barn?" Joanna looked at him and shook her head.

"I went out to check on him, and he was still 'swearing a blue streak', as my Grandma Mary used to say," Jim told her making her smile a bit.

"But what was all the bangin' 'bout?" she asked puzzled.

"He was throwing those old cans around; he dented most of them pretty bad. When he heard me he turned and threw one at the door frame, without missing a syllable, so I left him to it. He's been shutting himself up and swearing like that as long as I've known him. The only times I've had a problem with it were the ones he locked me out of our dorm bathroom and I had to 'borrow' one from one of our neighbors at some ungodly hour of the morning cause he had a bad shift," Jim said only slightly exaggerating, and finally got a small giggle from her.

"JoJo, your Dad's well respected as a Doctor for what he did to save Adm. Pike's life and all the others he's saved since then. So even if someone tried something to make the judge mess up, like before, it would take a hell of a lot to make any Starfleet judge think badly enough of him to not let you stay with him," Jim said softly, looking at her as she relaxed against him and yawned.

"I hope so, Uncle Jim. I love you," Joanna murmured as she closed her eyes.

"I- I love you too Sweetheart," he whispered gently placing a kiss on her forehead. Jim sat for a while watching the stars, and thinking about everything that had led him here, back to Iowa sitting in the grass holding his best friend's sleeping daughter. A small part of him was thinking about holding his own child someday the way he held Joanna. But Jim dismissed that as the pipe dream he felt it was, pushing it aside, as he carefully stood and carried her back to the house and to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Still don't own them.

Thanks as always to Bookdragon01 for Beta-ing.

* * *

><p>The next day was full of cleaning up the house and making sure all the laundry was finished and ready to be packed.<p>

After dinner they settled out on the porch, talking and enjoying the quiet night. Something seemed to be going on between Spock and Uhura as the day went on, everyone was hoping that it wasn't something bad; they'd never seen the two of them happier.

After Joanna told them goodnight, Spock rose from his chair and turned to Jim. "Captain, might I have a word with you, in private?"

"Sure Spock, c'mon, I need to make sure everything's locked up for the night," Jim replied leading the way into the deepening dusk. "What did you want to discuss?" Jim asked as soon as they were out of ear shot of the porch.

"Captain there is a task I wish to undertake and having already undertaken the logical first steps I am now faced with a slight dilemma," Spock replied choosing his words with obvious care. "What I am faced with is a slight paradox between regulations and personal wishes."

"Spock, I'm not sure I follow you. You aren't putting in for a transfer are you?" Jim asked suddenly worried.

"No Jim, I wish to request permission to marry Nyota. As the Captain I am required to obtain your permission as well as your signature on the necessary forms for the Admiralty. I wished to speak with you in private both because at the moment it is a private matter, and because I know that you also have feelings for her. I would hope that this will not strain our friendship as I have come to value it highly."

Jim stared at him for a moment, only slightly surprised by the request but that wasn't what made him pause; it was the fact that Spock thought that he was in love with Uhura as well. "Spock, you have both my permission and any help you need with Starfleet," Jim replied grinning. "But you're wrong about my feelings for her. I do care about her, but I'm not in love with her."

"Your actions and words don't always support that statement, both in the past and even now," Spock replied, his curiosity aroused at Jim's statement.

"You're reading way more into this than is there, Spock. You can have feelings for someone without being _in_ love with them. Ok I'll admit that I was attracted to her when we met at the bar, and for part of my first year at the Academy. But after a few months it got to be more fun to match wits with her, part of that was the fact that she refused to tell me her first name," Jim smirked slightly at the memory.

"But long before I even knew about you two, I'd given up and just enjoyed getting a rise out of her. It's the same sort of thing that I do with Bones. But I'm_ not_ in love with her. She-she's family, it'd be like kissing my sister," he finished quietly, looking straight at Spock, shoulders braced as if expecting some sort of attack.

"An interesting metaphor, considering that such an occurrence would be both morally and ethically wrong Captain. But I'm not sure that I understand its usage here," Spock remarked one eyebrow raised, and clearly trying to understand what Jim meant.

"I mean that I feel about her the way I would if she really was my sister. Spock, I comforted her when you were hurt on Targus and were in that trance for two days; it was nothing romantic; protective yes, but that's it," Jim said trying to be as clear as possible.

"I think I understand the type of bond you mean," Spock said looking at him, relieved that Nyota had been partly right about their friend's feelings. "Thank you for clarifying that and for your support with the Admiralty. Both Nyota and I appreciate it," he said with a small Vulcan bow.

"You're very welcome Spock. There's no one who deserves happiness more than you," Jim replied clapping him gently on the arm. "What's the logical first step you said you'd taken?"

"I spoke to her father as is her family's custom and obtained his permission. The next step, logically, was to speak to you so that hopefully, there would be no objection from yourself or Starfleet," Spock replied looking at Jim.

"Get me the paperwork as soon as you can so we can get this going. And please keep me informed about what you decide to do about the ceremony and everything. Just one question though. Are you going to get her an engagement ring?" Jim asked him, starting to get excited at the prospect of the wedding.

"Yes, I had a replica of the ring my Father gave my Mother made and presented it to her before we left Africa. She has been wearing it on a chain around her neck until we could announce it. Jim, thank you for everything you have done for both of us," Spock said sincerely before starting back to the group on the porch.

"That explains why you both were looking so relaxed when you arrived. You're both welcome, I'm the one who should be thanking you both for putting up with me sometimes," Jim replied with a smile, just before they reached the porch steps.

They sat back down and talked for a while longer, making plans for going to the Shipyard Bar the next night. Everyone, Jim included, agreed that it would be an early night, but that they ought to have one night to cut loose, after everything that had happened over the last three weeks. As soon as the main details were settled they started drifting towards their beds.

Jim lingered a bit behind the others, collecting the last stray glasses when Uhura paused, looking at the stars. As he passed her spot leaning on the corner porch post, she held out her glass for him to take.

"Thanks," he said taking it, then caught her hand, and placed a quick kiss on the back.

"What was that for?" she demanded slightly suspicious.

"Congratulations. I figured either you or Spock would kick my ass if I'd kissed your cheek, no matter what I said about not thinking of you that way," he said with a chuckle. "I'm serious Uhura, I quit chasing you a few months after we met but it was too much fun to keep pestering you for your name to really stop. I've never seriously meant anything by it, at least since around that first Halloween," he told her with a slightly guilty half smile as he leaned against the railing a couple feet from her.

"I admitted something to Spock tonight I never really had to myself. I've felt it often enough, but I don't know, I guess I was just too chicken to accept it, until we got into this whole mess with Bones and Joanna," Jim said carefully.

"What are you talking about Kirk?" Uhura asked him, clearly puzzled.

"I told Bones that he's the closest thing to a brother I've had since I was twelve. Its true too. He's needed to look after someone, and I've needed him to keep me in line. But what I didn't want to look at really was the fact of what my feelings for you had changed into. I didn't want to lose whatever kinda friendship and trust we'd built over the last two years by saying something," Jim explained with a sigh, looking up at the stars. "But the truth is," he continued as she opened her mouth to question him. "You've become like a sister to me. I know you probably think its stupid and everything but I can't help it," he finished in a rush, waiting for her to either laugh or haul off and slug him.

"Wow, ok, I don't really know what to say K-Jim, I never expected you to say that," Uhura said as she laid her hand on his arm. "You've come to be part of my second family too, and no, I don't think this will ruin anything," she chuckled as he relaxed. "I guess I've always known you weren't totally serious and I can't say I haven't enjoyed matching wits with you. I just never-," she trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't know, I guess in a way I still thought you were just being the charming ass that you were when we met. Then you'd do or say something and I knew there was more to it, but I never could figure out what it was. I think that was the only thing that I didn't consider. And I have trusted you since you helped bring Spock back," Uhura had to chuckle at the puzzled look on his face.

"After Vulcan was destroyed it felt as though the man I love was disappearing. After the fight you two had, I _really _wanted to hate you. But I realized a couple of things when I calmed down and listened to your reasons. One was that he needed to step down. We were all in shock, but I still should have seen the fact he wasn't in any state to command. I knew something was off about him but I didn't really realize until you and Scotty were brought to the bridge how close to the edge he was. The other was that of all of us you were somehow the most, but yet least affected by what happened. I'm still not sure how you were still able to function almost normally," Uhura explained, shaking her head slightly at the memory.

"When he volunteered to go over and get Ca-Admiral Pike, I knew he didn't expect to come back, no matter what he said, that's why he kissed me basically good-bye in the transporter in front of you and Scotty. I don't know for certain what happened but something between the fight and his coming back to the bridge helped him center himself again. Part of it was whatever his father said to him after the fight; but something about you got him to see that you were right about stopping Nero before he could destroy another planet," Uhura looked down unable to look him in the face any more.

"I guess it was the fact that I'd lived with the anger at whoever killed my Dad most of my life. I could use it instead of the other way around when I finally had somewhere to direct it. My anger at what happened to the fleet and Vulcan ended up being fed into that old knot of anger so it was colder, more focused on protecting Earth and stopping Nero, than anything, especially after Spock got tunnel vision about getting it touch with Starfleet. That's what set me off before and after he marooned me it made me determined to trust the other him and Scotty," Jim chuckled softly. "I'm just glad we got the chance to work things out," he said smiling at her as he moved to collect their glasses.

"I told Spock to get me the forms as soon as he could so I could sign off on them. Can I see your ring before you go? Spock said it was a replica of his mom's," Jim asked as Uhura started towards the door.

Uhura wordlessly lifted it free of her shirt by the chain. It was beautiful in its simplicity, Jim could honestly say that. A single blue stone set in a mix of gold and silver twisted together.

"It's perfect for you; I hope you can wear it soon," Jim told her sincerely.

"I do too. Good night Jim. Thank you for everything," Uhura said as they separated at the door and she headed upstairs.

"You're welcome. Night Nyota," he replied taking the glasses into the kitchen.

'Two years,' Jim thought wryly as he placed them in the washer. 'They've been the best kept secret on the ship.' As he heard the murmur of their quiet voices on the stairs, he had to smile over the fact that the ship rumor mill was going to blow up when this came out. If he hadn't known he never would have guessed so it wasn't too surprising that no one else had.

The next morning Jim headed down stairs to start the coffee before going to join Spock and whoever else was up for a sparring match. As he entered the kitchen he noticed Spock's PADD on the table with his name on the screen in Uhura's handwriting, making him smile.

As Jim waited for the coffee he sat down and went over the forms. By the time he'd finished filling his portion of them out the coffee was ready so he quickly transferred a blank copy of the forms as well as one of the completed ones to a chip and saved both the chip and the PADD copies, dropped the chip in his coat pocket, grabbed a cup of coffee and the PADD and headed to the garage to spar until his mom called them in to help with breakfast, and make sure the PADD got back to Spock without anyone else realizing what was going on.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing with Joanna. They even managed to get Spock to join them for a game of hide and seek after pointing out that logically if someone were able to hide from friends that knew them, someone who didn't would have less chance of finding them.

Surprisingly it was Uhura, then Joanna, and Winona who managed to find Spock the most. Uhura seemed to almost have some kind of radar for finding him no matter where he hid that the others found funny.

Dinner was a traditional cookout, eaten on the porch; and afterwards they toasted marshmallows and told stories of their escapades growing up before putting Joanna to bed and getting ready to go out.

About an hour and a half later Winona looked up from her book to find Joanna watching her from the living room doorway. "What's the matter, Honey, can't sleep?" she asked as Joanna hurried over to her.

"No it's too quiet up there, Miss 'Nona. When are they gettin' back?" Joanna asked as she curled up in Winona's lap.

"They'll be back around ten at least that was the plan. But I doubt that Spock will let them stay out too late," Winona told her with a smile. "Do you want to lie on the couch and wait for them?"

"Can I?" Joanna asked surprised.

"Yes, I could use the company too," she said nudging Joanna off her lap and standing.

Winona got Joanna settled on the couch easily and a few minutes later she was asleep again snuggled in the folds of one of Mary Kirk's quilts.

They got back from the bar just after ten; Winona had just checked on Joanna when she heard the sound of the van pulling up and moved to stand in the doorway to warn them about Joanna being down stairs.

"How was -what happened?" she asked shocked as they stepped inside, seeing the bruises on Jim, Leonard, Scotty, and Sulu, while Uhura and Spock hovered over a limping Chekov. "Everyone in the dining room and keep it down, Joanna woke up, came downstairs and fell back to sleep in the living room," she ordered quietly.

Once Chekov was seated, Uhura hurried upstairs as the others pulled the dining chairs into a group.

"That bastard Dirk Metzler showed up drunk with a couple friends and decided to pick a fight." Jim explained rubbing his throbbing left wrist as Uhura returned with McCoy's medkit.

"Oh Jim, I thought you'd learned to ignore him years ago," Winona replied pulling a chair next to his and sitting.

"He was, until the idiot decided to upend the table on Chekov when verbal abuse didn't work. Hold still Pavel, I just wanna make sure I didn't miss anythin' back at the bar. I don't like trustin' other people's equipment." McCoy ran his tricorder over the boy. "With some of the shit he was spewin' I'm a bit shocked that ya didn't take a swing at him sooner. You'll be fine kid," he added patting Chekov gently on the shoulder and starting to scan Scotty's injuries.

"Ah'm fine Doc, Jus' a few bruised knuckles, an' they airn't enough ta slow me down," Scotty assured him, managing to make his split lip start bleeding, earning a glower from McCoy as he reached for the dermal regenerator.

"Hold still or I just might manage to seal that mouth of yours shut, ya crazy Scot," McCoy grumbled as he sealed Scotty's lip and started on his split knuckles.

"Let me guess that same nonsense about his sister's accident?" Winona asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Only this time he was going on about how I was either on behind her on her bike or chasing slash racing her on mine when she wrecked. He was so drunk he couldn't seem to keep his story straight. It wasn't worth it Bone. Besides that's what he wanted me to do so that he could call the cops on me for starting it, and I was hoping that he'd get tired and go away. The cops know I wasn't anywhere near her that night, I was up at Cornel getting ready to defend my dissertation. He just can't accept the fact that she still won't tell him what was going on that night, or that it was an accident, so he got it fixed in his head that we were more than friends and or that I know something about it. Truthfully I'd rather fight Cupcake, Canolli, Cookie, and Twinkie again than waste time with him." Jim replied. anger still edging his words. "Spock, thanks for knocking them when you did," he added shooting Spock a grateful look.

"You're welcome, I was merely doing my best to end the altercation as quickly as possible before there were any more injuries," Spock replied calmly, but no one missed the remaining spark of anger in his eyes and expression at the unprovoked attack.

"So who are the baked goods?" Winona asked gently wrapping her arm around Jim's shoulders, trying to lighten the mood by changing the subject as McCoy moved to Sulu and started fixing the pilot's split knuckles.

"The night I met Pike again and Uhura I got into a fight with four cadets. I more or less gave the leader- his real name is Richard Martin- the nickname Cupcake. I called him that when he started getting in my face for talking to Uhura; I told him I was joking or to relax, Cupcake, not totally sure which. And no, Mom, I haven't called them that except to Bones, in private in almost two years, but it's still going around," Jim said with a small smile.

"Of the others, Carrannelli was on the _Enterprise_, Teng, and Williams were on the Farragut. Cu-Martin's now second in command of security under Lt Cmdr Giotto. He's turned out to be a solid security officer and one of our best," Jim explained as Bones carefully scanned his hand.

"Yeah, he's definitely hard to kill," Bones replied from where he was finishing his treatment of Jim's injuries.

"Ok Leonard, let me take a look at you," Winona ordered as she watched McCoy trying to manipulate the dermal regenerator to fix his right knuckles with his almost equally damaged left hand.

"Damnit, maybe ya better Winona, I haven't been this banged up since the Academy when I was havin' to drag Jim bodily outta fights damn near every weekend," he admitted grudgingly handing over both his tricorder and the regenerator.

"I have wondered where that particular set of names originated since I heard them while teaching, but I have hesitated to ask either of them, particularly Lt Martin because of his sensitivity to its use. How much alcohol had you consumed that night, Captain that caused you to be so imprudent?" Spock asked as Winona started running the regenerator over McCoy's split knuckles.

"More than I really care to remember, Spock. I was 'celebrating' finishing a computer programming degree and wasn't paying much attention, mostly because I had finished all the ones that Cornel offered. So I was going to have to look into another field if I wanted to keep going there or transfer to another college," Jim chuckled at the looks of surprise on the others faces as they realized what he'd just admitted.

"Yes you heard me right; I'd been taking classes for about six years by then. Spock, I know you read my record two years ago and saw that I graduated from high school at sixteen. Why do you think Pike was so eager to get me to join Starfleet?" Jim grinned watching as Bones flexed his hands as his mom moved on to the bruises on his face.

"I will admit that I had never really considered that fact, other than to surmise that the awards you hold in computers as well as your IQ level were the reasons for your ability to plant the subroutine into the Kobyashi Maru program," Spock replied making the others chuckle.

"I was, as Pike put it when we talked that night, 'the only genius level repeat offender in the Midwest' for around eight years," Jim said grinning at the memory as his friends figured his age in their heads and looked at him surprised; Jim just chuckled. "Yes there are some things I did then I'm not too proud of now but I don't think I'd be here without them."

"And on that note we all have to be up early tomorrow so to bed with all of you. Jim, you or Leonard need to carry Joanna back up stairs," Winona told them, as she stood up. McCoy detoured to carefully scoop Joanna off the couch and soon the house was quiet except for Scotty's snoring.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Thank you to Bookdragon01 as always for beta-ing this chapter, especially since she's injured. Nope still don't own anything.

Nika, to answer your question about the Romulans, no they weren't on the Narada. I'd found on Memory Alpha that the tatoos were a sign of grief but they were supposed to be temporary, like the henna tatoos that you see in some Middle Eastern and Indian cultures. As they faded it showed the passing of their grief and return to normal life. They were supposed to be for loved ones but I figured that they might also apply if Spock Prime had started getting the reunification going, as a sign of respect. Nero and the rest of his crew made them perminate because they wouldn't let go of the destuction of Romulus and believed that all that was left was revenge. The ones at the memorial had the remains of the normal temorary tattoos and the hoods hid their regrowing hair. The robes I was picturing were the same style as Spock wore in 'The Voyage Home' and some of the guest appearances on the later series. I think Spock was wearing one, with the hood down, during the the memory of assuring the Romulans in his mind meld with Jim on Delta Vega. I hope this clears up the confusion for you and anyone else about the Delegation.

Chaoticmom

* * *

><p>The next morning they hurried through breakfast and clean up so they could get to the terminal early, and piled in the old van. Jim gave Spock the front seat because the back was crowded with seven people and luggage which he knew was more than would be comfortable for his friend's Vulcan sensibilities. After a bit of juggling of seating arrangements Jim settled back in his seat.<p>

"Ok Mom, I think we're ready to go," Jim said grinning at her reflection in the rearview mirror.

Their goodbyes at the terminal were made with promises to be careful, hugs and an open invitation to visit. Jim, McCoy, and Joanna waited till last.

"Leonard, let me know what happens, and I'll be there to help. And if you need anything or just someone to talk to don't hesitate to comm. me," she told McCoy as she gave him a motherly hug.

"I will Winona and thank you for everythin'," McCoy replied returning her embrace and stepping back for Joanna.

"I'll talk to you soon Joanna," Winona told her hugging her close, resting her cheek on Joanna's head. "And remember you can comm. me anytime."

"I will Miss 'Nona, see you soon," Joanna replied with a smile before joining her father and boarding the shuttle as Winona turned to Jim.

"Be careful Jim, I love you," Winona whispered in his ear as she hugged him one last time.

"I will Mom; I have too many people depending on me. You be careful too. One of us will let you know what's going on with Bones and JoJo," Jim replied, kissing her cheek.

"You'd better. Don't forget Sam should be calling in the next week," Winona reminded him as the final boarding call was made.

"I will, don't worry. Remind him I'm not on the ship and give him the number again. I sent it to him but I don't know if he'll remember. Bye Mom," Jim replied grinning as he headed up the ramp, turning to wave one last time.

As they took off Spock settled back in his seat and closed his eyes, quickly and easily slipping to just the edge of meditation, he let his thoughts drift.

From the row behind him, Spock could hear Chekov, Scotty, and Sulu debating the feasibility of increasing the maneuverability of the thrusters, and made a mental note to find out their conclusions. While in the row ahead, the Captain and Joanna were starting the familiar routine of distracting the Doctor for the duration of the flight. It had puzzled him at first, until he realized that McCoy was aviaphobic, and that it was Kirk's unique way of making the trip easier on his friend.

Next to him Nyota shifted and wrapped one hand around his forearm. Through the fabric of his sleeve he caught her feelings of contentment and interest in the article she was reading as well as amusement at the Captain's antics that matched his own; also her affection for him and the rest of their group overlaid with worry about the upcoming legal battles.

Spock pushed the awareness of her to the back of his mind and began going over the events of the last three weeks; making sure that he had everything that had happened with Dr McCoy and Joanna in order.

As for his and Nyota's engagement, that needed no second look. As he had been instructed by his elder self two years earlier he was doing what felt right; and at the moment nothing had felt like this since he'd rejoined the _Enterprise_, a kind of falling into place.

They were met at the shuttle port by Admiral Pike and Rhymer and, after dropping off their bags in their quarters, headed for Pike's office. Joanna was excited to meet Pike and kept up a stream of chatter with him all the way to their quarters.

As usual they drew some stares on the trip from their quarters, but this time it had more to do with the unusual site of Joanna bouncing back and forth between Jim and McCoy than the normal mixture of envy and interest they always seemed to get.

"Don't worry we won't keep you long. We just need to go over everything to make sure that it's been dealt with and we aren't going to have any nasty little surprises pop up on us," Pike explained as they settled into the familiar office.

"I spoke with Ambassador Sarek after the ceremonies the night you left about what was going on and the fact that we might have to push back the _Enterprise's_ mission to New Vulcan. I offered him the use of the _Yorktown_ if he needed to go before you were able to leave. Your father is a remarkable man Spock. When I explained the reason for the delay, he was adamant about taking the _Enterprise_. He told me that he wanted to offer what support he could. It's also probably a good thing we have a delay because they're still working on installing the last of the reinforced hull plates. They finally think they got the bugs out of the shield up grade this morning," Pike reported making everyone, especially Scotty; sigh at the idea of bugs in the systems.

"We're grateful that he's willing to put off the trip and for the support. I have a feeling that we're gonna need all the cool headed logic we can get before this is over, if what happened in Atlanta is any indication. And it's not like we'll be sitting around doing nothing waiting for them to finish," Jim said glancing between Bones and Spock.

"That's for damn sure, between this and the upgrades it's gonna take at least a week to make sure the Medbay staff know how to run it all correctly," McCoy added as Rhymer started his report.

"First I spoke with Capt Logan of the APD and one of their ADAs this morning, and we'll be able to do the criminal hearing from here. ADA Burger managed to get a date of July 2nd and the go ahead to have you, Cmdr Spock, Lt Uhura, and Captain Kirk give your testimony via satellite Dr McCoy," Rhymer explained.

"How'd you manage to finagle that?" McCoy asked a bit surprised.

"I explained that the _Enterprise_ had pushed back an important diplomatic and supply run to New Vulcan, and that there wasn't time to be running back and forth with both new crew and at least two dozen family members coming on board. I also emphasized that we didn't want Joanna anywhere near Donovan because of his history and reaction to our coming to get her," Rhymer explained. "As to the divorce and custody hearing, we're looking at June 25th. So we're going to have to go back for that. Don't worry, we're bringing the judge with us and no one but Admirals Archer and Becket know who it's going to be.

"Joanna you don't have to be there for all of either trial if you don't want to, but your father and the rest of us that were present do. You may have to testify at the second one about what happened," Rhymer explained as a frightened look appeared on Joanna's face, and she grabbed her Father's and Jim's hands at the news.

"C'n th' rest o' us be there too or are they gonna be closed courts?" Scotty asked suddenly, drawing everyone's attention off Joanna for the moment.

"As long as you don't cause a problem I don't see why you couldn't, Commander Scott. Why do you ask?"

"Well Ah don't know 'bout th' rest o' th' lads but since Ah couldn't go wi' 'em, it'd be nice ta be able ta do somethin', even if it is just sittin' there. 'Sides if the Lass needs ta leave after sayin' her piece or jus' b'cause, Ah'm pretty sure the court'd frown on any of ye leavin' too," Scotty explained glancing around nervously.

"Are you sure about that, Scotty?"Jim asked, leaning forward to look around Joanna and Bones.

"Aye Cap'n, if we need ta Ah c'n take her back on th' _Enterprise_ and she c'n help check over th' new systems an' such. Or we c'n jus' wander 'round till ye git done, dependin' on where we are."

"Are you going to be ok with that, Joanna, Doctor?" Rhymer asked.

"Yes, thanks Mr. Monty," she smiled at him a bit shakily and McCoy nodded. "I-I haven't even thought about it, I mean testifyin'. I thought they'd just use my statement from Riverside," Joanna said softly still holding her dad's and Jim's hands like lifelines.

"They definitely would if you were younger and they still might. I just want you to be prepared in case they call you, that's all. You've heard the old saying about preparing for the worst? Well that's what we're doing," Rhymer explained.

"A-Alright. Mr. Rhymer, can y'all explain what's goin' on and what's gonna happen with the divorce, please? I was so little before; that stuff didn't really make sense other than that Daddy had to leave, and Mama was actin' like she won some kinda lottery," Joanna asked looking slightly less frightened.

"Ok, what happened is that we found out that several people had lied when your parents got divorced. Some of the lies were what caused you to have to stay with your mother, and why your dad had to leave like he did. At some point the judge is going to want to talk to you about what's been going on since the divorce and who you want to live with. I think you did that before didn't you?" Rhymer explained.

"I think so, I remember a grumpy man in a black robe askin' me in front of the men that were sitting with Mama and Daddy an' doin' all the talkin' who was home more and I said Mama so that's who he said I had to live with," Joanna replied.

"I'm glad we turned him into the Atlanta DA's office," Rhymer muttered to Pike who nodded in agreement. "Joanna, he should have asked you who you were closer to and who you wanted to live with, not who was home more. And that should have been done just the two of you and possibly a stenographer to take notes, in his chambers, if there wasn't a recording unit available. You won't get asked in front of anyone but the judge this time. It's been standard procedure for centuries to do it that way so that kids don't have the chance to be influenced by one parent or the other or their lawyers," Rhymer explained, disgusted at how far the law had been stretched in this case.

"Doctor, I got the final report back from Mississippi on your former in-laws," Rhymer continued. "It seems that Beauregard Darnel lost most of his money right about the time that your ex-wife's behavior changed. And that she was sending all the money she could to help him. He'd also been living slightly beyond his means for a number of years going back to before your marriage; his creditors finally caught up with him at that point. He managed to avoid any major trouble by paying most of them off, but it wasn't until after your divorce that he finally managed to pay the last of them off.

"Also the investigator found out that the story that went around down there was that she caught you cheating," Rhymer said watching as McCoy's scowl deepened.

"Why that no good lyin'-" McCoy managed to stop himself before he actually started swearing but everyone knew what he wanted to say and were thinking along the same lines. "He never liked that I married his 'precious little girl', so I'm not really surprised," he added after a couple minutes when he could speak coherently.

"The facts are correct other than the blame being switched," Rhymer continued. "Other than a couple of final reports that need to come in, we are looking at a fairly open and shut pair of cases. I will be meeting with each of you and a few others over the next week or so to go over your testimonies and prepare you for what to expect. But I believe that you can relax a bit for the next week and enjoy yourselves."

"The Admiralty is working to keep this as quiet as possible, but please take care. Yesterday The Atlanta Constitution ran a brief note that Victor Donovan and an unnamed woman had been arrested for abuse and divorce fraud. The only problem is that they mentioned the name of the attorneys representing both of them, so it won't be too long before they get her name and possibly figure out the connection to you Bones. Thankfully they didn't say anything about assaulting Starfleet Officers, or we'd be in real trouble," Pike informed them gravely.

"Damn it she'll love that, and try to turn it into a circus just like last time," McCoy spit out, wrapping an arm around Joanna's shoulders. "And if she doesn't, her Daddy might. If he's been sayin' the whole thing was my fault, there's nothin' to stop him from draggin' it through the media."

"Admiral Becket's already at work on that front. If anyone starts printing anything but the facts, JAG has been given the authority to go after them for it," Rhymer said calmly. "We learned a few things two years ago about the lengths that the media will go to where any of the seven of you is concerned specifically and the rest of the crew in general. We aren't going to be playing catch up again," he added grimly, before asking questions about what happened on the rest of their leaves.

Almost an hour later they headed to the Officer's Mess for lunch. M'Benga and Christine Chapel were already at one of the tables. Both of them waved the others over as soon as they'd gotten their food.

"I'm glad you're back, McCoy, I hope everything went alright. Mr. Scott told us what was going on." M'Benga said shaking his hand across the table as they sat down.

"It could have been better, but I'm hopin' that things get easier from here. We got things set up a bit today," McCoy replied wrapping his arm around Joanna's shoulders. "Chapel, M'Benga, I want y'all to meet my daughter, Joanna. Jo, this is Christine Chapel, my Head Nurse, and Dr. Geoffrey M'Benga, my head Senior Medical Officer."

"Pleasure to meet y'all, Daddy and Uncle Jim talk about you a lot," Joanna replied as both Chapel and M'Benga glanced at the Captain sitting beside Joanna, and talking with Scotty to see how he'd react to the apparently new title. They were surprised when he didn't.

"Don't look like that, you two, Jo's been callin' Jim that almost since they met," McCoy explained with a chuckle.

As they ate, details of their leaves home were shared with Chapel and M'Benga. Joanna quickly finished eating and sat back to listen to the grownups talking. She was listening and watching Chapel and M'Benga with the others figuring out where they fit into the group.

A few minutes later there was a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see Pavel standing behind her.

"Joanna, I kin show you vhere to dump your tray or do you vant me to take it?" he asked quietly.

"Can you show me? I'd really like some desert if they have any," she replied eagerly glancing at her Dad. He was deep in a medical discussion with Dr M'Benga so she turned to Jim who was going over Scotty's thruster proposal in his head.

"Uncle Jim," she said breaking into his thoughts.

"Hmm? What JoJo?"

"Can I go dump my tray and get some desert? Pavel said he'd show me," Joanna asked.

Jim glanced at Chekov. "Sure, just there and back ok. If it's more than you can eat I'll help you finish," he told her grinning mischievously.

"Thanks. Uncle Jim, you're just sayin' that so Daddy won't get mad at ya for eatin' too many sweets," she replied grinning, getting up and following close behind Pavel across the now slightly crowded room.

They returned a few minutes later with bowls of ice cream for the three of them: chocolate for Jim, strawberry cheesecake for Joanna and butter pecan for Chekov.

"Thanks you two," Jim said as Joanna set his in front of him.

"You're velcome –Keptin," Chekov replied with a grin as he sat back down.

Christine Chapel had quietly watched Joanna all meal and had to smile at the way she, Chekov, and the Captain interacted. She knew that the Ensign had a slight case of hero worship where Kirk was concerned, and Kirk had a habit of treating him like a younger brother a lot of the time. So it was understandable that the last week would bring that out. The Captain's relationship with Joanna was harder to figure out. If she didn't know better she'd almost believe Joanna was his niece, since the nieces and nephews in her family acted the same way around their favorite aunts and uncles.

'I'll ask Nyota later, she'll be able to fill me in on what happened that caused them to be so close so fast,' Christine thought as Joanna attempted to give Kirk the last bite of her ice cream. Unfortunately he turned his head to answer a question from Sulu at the last second so the spoon hit him in the cheek, smearing it part way across his face. Christine had to duck her head to hide her grin at the looks of shock on both their faces; she heard Nyota giggle next to her and looked at her in surprise. She knew her friend respected Kirk but she still had issues with his flirting with her; so the unrestrained humor in her laugh was unusual.

'Yes, I definitely have to find out what exactly happened on leave,' she thought as McCoy turned to look at what was so funny.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Jim, I thought you saw me," Joanna was saying.

"Hey, my own fault Kiddo, I knew you weren't gonna be able to finish," Jim told her chuckling as he wiped his face. "It's not the worst thing I've had shoved in my face, right Bones?" Jim added turning to his friend as he took the spoon from Joanna.

"That's true Jo, so don't worry about it. Make sure he knows it's food comin' at him next time and he won't duck," McCoy chuckled earning him a smile from Joanna and a mock glare from Jim.

"If everyone's done, I'd like to propose a meeting in my quarters. I want to make sure you and Chapel know what's been going on and what will be happening for the next few weeks, M'Benga, and this isn't the place," Jim announced just loud enough for the rest to hear, glancing at the empty trays scattered around as he handed Joanna her spoon.

A few minutes later they left the cafeteria headed for the small conference room/office that Jim had attached to his quarters.

Jim quickly dropped back to talk quietly with Uhura and Spock about how and when they were going to deliver the news of their engagement and the forms to Adm. Pike. A few minutes later his communicator chimed.

"Kirk."

"_Kirk what in hell is the meaning of this?"_ Pike's irritated voice came through the speaker.

"The meaning of what Sir?" Jim asked puzzled.

"_The meaning, _Captain_, of these blank Request for Marriage forms, saved under the names of your First and Communications Officers! If this is your idea of a joke, I'm not laughing and I'm sure they won't be either when they find out,"_ Pike growled.

"Admiral, you should know me better than that.I need to brief my head of security, SMO and Head Nurse on what's going on. I'll bring Spock and Uhura with me in around half an hour and explain everything, Sir," Jim said.

"_Ok, Kirk, I'll be here. It better be good,"_ Pike replied shortly.

"It is, sir, I promise. Kirk out," Jim replied glancing at Spock and Uhura.

"How did he find the forms, Captain?" Spock asked as Jim patted down his pockets and frowned.

"Damn! The disk must've fallen out of my coat pocket," Jim replied a bit shame faced.

"Captain, how are we going to do this now without looking like complete idiots?" Uhura asked turning to glare at him.

"Calm down, I saved everything to Spock's PADD as well as the disk just to be safe. So we need to give him the finished forms and he should settle down. Damn, I was hoping not to make him mad about this," Jim said as he opened his communicator again and made the call to Lt Cmdr Giotto.

As they walkedChristine had to smile as she watched Joanna with her father. Just having her around seemed to make him relax and look more like his real age of thirty-three.

'Admit it girl, you've thought he was handsome, grouch or not, since you met him,' she thought shaking her head at her own stupidity at having slightly more than just friendly feelings towards her friend and senior officer as they entered the conference room.

The room was definitely crowded with ten of them but they found places against the walls.

"Ok, as soon as Giotto and Martin get here we'll start," Jim said replacing his communicator as he settled against the door to his quarters. "Sorry about the conditions, I'd move us out of here but I don't think my quarters are any bigger and we have walls in the way. Besides I managed to lock housekeeping out, finally, so I'm pretty sure no one wants to go in there; though I should still have all my clothes and stuff," he apologized, drawing chuckles from the rest of them.

Bones had settled in Jim's desk chair with Joanna on his lap, the other two chairs were taken by Christine and Uhura.

"As long as you don't plan on keepin' us in here long, Jim, I think we'll be fine," Bones said shifting Joanna slightly as the door chimed.

"Come in," Jim responded and Giotto, followed closely by Martin entered.

"You wanted to see us Captain?" Giotto asked. He was a slightly grey haired man of around fifty; brisk, no nonsense, and by the book in most cases. It had definitely been an adjustment getting used to working with Jim but they had come to respect each other. Martin was still a puzzle at times for Jim, but he wasn't a bad guy really. The two of them had managed to more or less bury the hatchet; though Martin would still glare at Jim if someone happened to call him 'Cupcake'.

"Yeah guys. I know it's a bit cramped, but I wanted to keep this as quiet as possible," Jim said, as he stepped forward to stand behind Bones and Joanna, allowing Spock to step out of the cramped corner he'd claimed and take his spot against the door. "I know Scotty told M'Benga and Chapel what was really going on the last day of the Memorial, but I don't think you know. Am I right?" he asked looking at the two security men.

"No, Captain, only what was announced about you, Cmdr Spock and Lt Uhura," Giotto replied after exchanging a quick glance with his second in command.

"Ok guys, I'm sorry you were kept in the dark, but at the time there wasn't time to fill you in. I want you to meet Dr. McCoy's daughter, Joanna. Joanna, these are Lt Cmdr Giotto and Lt Martin," Jim said resting a gentle hand on Joanna's shoulder.

Joanna smiled at them, especially at Martin thinking about the nickname Jim had given him. Both men nodded and looked at Jim questioningly.

"I'll explain in a minute, Commander. Scotty, I know we didn't ask you to keep quiet by about what we were doing, but how did you end up telling M'Benga and Chapel?" Jim asked looking at Scotty.

"Cap'n, they cornered me after th' ceremony and made me tell 'em tha' ye were at least a'right, They were worried when they couldnae find ye. All Ah told 'em was that ye were safe and were helpin' the Doc wi' a family emergency involvin' his daughter," Scotty explained.

"Ok Scotty, I'm not mad about it, just concerned as to how many people knew after what Adm. Pike told us earlier," Jim said. "We don't need to bring the reporters on our heads anymore than they might already," he added sharing a glance with Bones and causing Giotto and Martin to exchange worried glances of their own; each was wondering what their Captain had gotten them into now.

"Don't worry, I don't think it's gonna be life or death, but I wanted you to be aware of what happened two weeks ago and the possible ramifications," Jim stated looking around the room, specifically at the four newcomers.

"The day we left the ship, Bones got a message from his ex-wife that he was going to lose his parental rights two days before we reported back from leave. Thankfully it got sent or at least listened to earlier than planned. We, Bones, Spock, Uhura and I took the information to Adm. Pike and he called in a friend of his, Lt Cmdr Rhymer from JAG to look over everything during the memorials. Then Friday morning Bones got a call from his neighbor that Joanna was in trouble. We brought Adm. Archer in on things and headed to Atlanta to get her. Though why Archer made that stupid ass story up about Spock and I having the flu and Uhura being injured I don't know; all it did was worry everyone." Jim shook his head and continued the story leaving nothing out from the time they landed in Atlanta to their arrival in Iowa, with details from the others.

He skipped over leave and briefed them on the conversation with Adm. Pike and Rhymer earlier that day and the possibility of the media once again descending on the crew.

"No offence, Doctor, Captain, but when you decide to get into something messy you really do," Giotto said.

"Don't worry, Chief, I've told him the same thing more times than I can count. And _she_ specializes in messy, worse than Jim really; but at least_ he_ isn't malicious 'bout it," McCoy replied.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. We might need you to come with us in a week, especially if things get out of hand with the media," Jim added.

"We'll be ready if we need to be. If I can have Lt Cmdr Rhymer's comm. info I'll get in touch so we can coordinate if things start to go the way they did two years ago," Giotto said calmly.

"Thanks, Commander. I hope this doesn't make too big of a headache for you on top of all the families coming on board," Jim told them both.

"Not a problem, Captain, that's what Martin here's for," Giotto replied with a nod at the younger man.

"Thank you both, we appreciate this," Bones said, as he set Joanna on her feet and stood to shake their hands.

"Yeah thanks," Joanna echoed copying her Dad. Martin was clearly as unused to kids as Spock, but managed the handshake with good grace.

"There's the info for Rhymer, Commander. We all hope this is as far as it goes, but who knows what will happen if they get Bones' name," Jim told Giotto as he handed him the information.

"They better not!" Bones said vehemently. "I've had my fill of those parasites for a lifetime," he added as everyone nodded in agreement.

"If you'll excuse us, Captain, we'll get on this," Giotto said.

"Certainly, you two have a good afternoon," Jim said as Giotto and Martin left.

"I think we all need a bit of a break. Have fun and I'll see you at dinner," Jim said as everyone prepared to leave.

"See you later, Uncle Jim," Joanna said coming over for a hug before following Bones out the door.

"You too, JoJo," Jim said returning her hug.

"Ok let's get changed and go explain to Pike you two really are engaged," Jim said turning to Spock and Uhura as soon as the rest were gone. "I'll meet you in the hall in five," he added as he headed into his quarters to change into his captain's uniform.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** I just checked my bank account and no I don't own it.

Thanks to Bookdragon01 for beta-ing and keeping me from OOCing some one. Please read and review. I like to know what you think and it's the only 'pay' it get from this.

* * *

><p>As they left the meeting Christine started to head for her quarters to relax and try and sort out everything she'd just been told, when M'Benga called her name.<p>

"What?" she asked turning away from absently watching McCoy and Joanna head for the lift.

"Don't forget to sign in, Christine," M'Benga said as he passed her.

"Shit! Thanks Geoff!" she exclaimed as she bolted for the lift herself. "Hold the door!" she called as she saw them closing.

"Thanks L-McCoy," Christine said as she slid inside a moment later.

"Where are ya goin' in such a hurry, Chapel?" he asked as she leaned against the wall.

"To check in. I got here 'bout twenty minutes before we met y'all in the cafeteria. I was goin' to as soon as I put my stuff in my quarters, but ran into Geoff. He was just comin' back and said there was a real line and to eat first," Christine explained causing McCoy to nod in understanding.

"Sounds like that was a good idea; we were just goin' there ourselves. I need to check in too and I want to get Jo looked over again," McCoy told her.

"Daddy, I'm fine. Almost all the bruises are gone and nothin' hurts, so why do ya need to?" Joanna complained.

"I know you are, Jo, but I want to have proof of that if we need it," McCoy explained patiently as they stepped out of the lift. "The more proof that we have that you're alright and that nothin's gonna happen to you livin' with me the easier the hearin' will be."

"Oh. Ok, Daddy," Joanna sighed. "That makes sense, I guess," she said with a smile for him.

"Don't you need another doctor for that? 'Cause we can always roust Geoff out, especially if you want to keep it on the down low. You know what gossipers some of the nurses here are," Christine said as they started across the grounds towards the medical buildings.

"We'll see when we get there, Chapel. But that might be best if there's no one there I trust to keep quiet. Thanks," McCoy replied, shooting her a small smile.

'That smile's lethal,' she thought, not for the first time, as she smiled back.

"What part of the south are you from, Miss Chapel?" Joanna asked a couple minutes later.

"New Orleans, Miss Joanna. And before you ask, yes, I've been on the _Enterprise_ as long as your Daddy," Christine replied, seeing the familiar question coming before she could ask.

"Wow. Were you Head Nurse then too?"

"No, I sort of inherited the position, the officer that was Head Nurse was injured and I just kinda stepped into the roll. Even though technically I wasn't supposed to since I was only a Brevet or Provisional Ensign at the time, and there were several nurses higher rankin' than me," Christine explained.

"Jo, she was one of the only nurses we had that kept her head after the attack. When I got down there she was already doin' her best to organize the chaos and get the injured taken care of," McCoy added proudly, remembering her hurrying from one person to another only stopping to fill him in on what she'd done already.

"Where were you again Daddy?" Joanna asked.

"I was chasin' your fool 'Uncle' all over the damn ship tryin' to stop his allergic reaction to the stuff I gave him to get him on board. We were on the bridge when we got hit," McCoy replied shaking his head at the memory.

"Chasin' that 'fool' probably saved your life, Leo. Your station was the closest to the breached wall, remember?" Christine retorted good naturedly, having had this discussion with McCoy before.

"Yeah, and he knows it too. So you went home, didn't you?" McCoy asked changing the subject as they fell into the familiar easy pattern of conversation that had started when they were working together as cadets.

"Yes, it was nice to see everyone again, but I'm very glad to get back here. I'll always be from New Orleans but it's not really home anymore, or at least my folk's house isn't. That's the _Enterprise_, or in a pinch, here at Starfleet," Christine said, looking around at the familiar buildings.

"I know what you mean; my folk's was the same way when I went to college," McCoy agreed as they reached the administration wing of the medical building.

Check in was quick but frayed McCoy's temper because of the inquiring looks and several prying questions about Joanna from idling medical officers, which he answered with a glare and/or an abrupt order to mind their own business. The only explaining he did was to the records system operator, who was bound by confidentiality rules not to gossip.

Christine found him a few minutes later, scowling at the list of available doctors with Joanna protectively in front of him out of direct sight of the rest of the office.

"No luck, Sir?" she asked politely, for the sake of the other officers. She knew he disliked being called Sir by his own people, Doctor was fine and expected, but outside of official functions it tended to irritate him.

"No, Chapel," he growled shooting her a glare even though he knew why she'd called him that. "I was just 'bout to call M'Benga," he said reaching for his communicator.

As he did, an older doctor with slightly graying red hair, entered from the door to the rest of the hospital. McCoy breathed a silent sigh of relief and turned towards him. "Dr. McKenzie? Can I talk to you a moment?"

Dr. Angus McKenzie stopped to see who was calling him. His face lit up when he saw it was McCoy and came over. He was what many students called the old dragon of the medical building. He had a reputation for being a tough but fair teacher and one of the best as long as you didn't get on his bad side.

"What can I do for you, Dr. McCoy?" he asked as he reached them.

"Well, Sir, I was wonderin' if I could impose on you to quietly take a look at my daughter. She was injured a couple weeks ago and I'd like to get a final report on her recovery," McCoy explained softly, glancing around the room.

"Of course, McCoy. Do you have her files?" Dr McKenzie asked.

"They're on a disk in my pocket," McCoy replied as he guided Joanna out from behind him.

"Well aren't you the pretty young lady now. And how old are you?" Dr McKenzie asked seriously.

"Thank you, Sir, I'll be eleven in October," Joanna replied softly, as she stood leaning against her father, arms loosely wrapped around his waist.

"Well it won't take long to have a look at you," Dr McKenzie said with a smile.

The main doors opened as Christine stepped forward to offer to assist, glancing over she caught sight of someone entering whom she had hoped not to see again. Almost instinctively, she moved so that McCoy was between her and the door and peered around his shoulder. Seeing her move like that made him glance at her and she shot him a worried look that had his expression darkening as she quickly looked back at the group by the door.

McCoy knew Christine didn't worry easily, hell he'd seen her loose her composure only twice: once two years ago, when the Yorktown finally reached them, but he knew that had been simple grief, stress, and lack of sleep coupled with the relief that help had arrived; the second was when they'd almost lost the evacuation team they were both on to a collapsing building during an 'earthquake' on Barengaria VII, and then almost lost Spock when he'd gotten caught after pushing her out of the way.

McCoy looked over by the door but couldn't tell which of the men there was causing her reaction. He made a mental note to ask her when they were done, as he gently nudged her with his elbow to get her attention.

"Sir, may I assist?" Christine asked, the faint tremble in her voice could be put down to nerves he knew, but he still didn't like it.

"I don't mind, Sir, as my head nurse, Chapel's more than qualified," McCoy added and received a slightly shaky smile.

"Pleasure to see you again my dear; I've heard nothing but good things about you and your work. Well let's get this taken care of, I'm sure you have more interesting things to do this afternoon than hang around here," Dr McKenzie said as he led them back out the door he came in and into the main hospital building.

As they walked, McCoy watched Christine. As soon as the door closed behind them she'd relaxed but she still looked troubled. She caught him watching her and mouthed 'Later' at him, and when he nodded she sighed softly.

"Alright let's see what we're looking at," Dr McKenzie said a few minutes later as he took the medical disk from McCoy in one of the exam rooms.

When Dr McKenzie pulled up everything his expression darkened. "Oh hell! McCoy, I sincerely hope you did something about this bastard," he said as he finished reading.

"We're in the process, that's part of why we're here. But from what I saw when they picked him off the ground to arrest him, Jim did a number on him, Spock too." McCoy replied wrapping his arm around Joanna.

McKenzie shot him a questioning look so he elaborated.

"I didn't see the whole thing 'cause I was gettin' Jo outta there. Bastard came chargin' out from behind the house and bowled Spock and Lt Cmdr Rhymer over. But Jim plowed into him at close to a full run to stop him from attackin' me while I was carryin' Jo. Then he ordered me to get outta there and meet up with Lt Uhura and the Atlanta Police. From what he and the other's reported it was some fight. Jim cleaned his clock, as the old sayin' goes. The bastard managed to fake Jim out, knocked him down and tried to strangle him but Spock got him in one of those Vulcan neck pinches and then he and Rhymer pulled the idiot off Jim," McCoy finished an edge of frustration in his voice.

"I take it that you mean Capt Kirk and Commander Spock?" Dr McKenzie asked.

"Yes and before you jump on me for the informality, Jim and I were roommates for three years and he's the closest thing to family I have after Jo. I've had to put Spock's green ass back together almost as much as I have Jim's in the last two years, usually after he saved Jim's life, so that breeds a certain familiarity," McCoy explained with a shrug.

McKenzie nodded in understanding, he'd been in the medical profession and in Starfleet too long not to understand how close friendships could be in either. He'd also met Kirk a couple times and could understand how the two had come to be friends.

"Well I don't see anything wrong with you, Joanna. You've done a remarkable job of healing," Dr McKenzie said a few minutes later as he helped her jump off the Bio bed. "Just keep up what you're doing and you should be all set."

"Thank you, Sir," Joanna told him. "But how long till this black eye goes away?"

"I'd say roughly a week for the last of the color to fade. But don't worry about it too much, some things take a bit of time."

"All right," Joanna said with a sigh.

"She's worried that someone will think either I gave it to her or one of the others in the command crew, since she's with at least one of us all the time," McCoy explained.

"Ahh, I can understand that, but don't worry; I'll put a note in your file for the next few weeks that your injuries are related to a criminal case in Atlanta. How will that be? That way if anyone tries to make anything of it the doctor will be set straight," Dr McKenzie made the note as Joanna nodded. "I think you're done here. I hope I don't have to see you like this again but I do hope that I'll run into you before you leave," he told them. "Chapel you are one of the best nurses I've had assist me in quite a while," he added shaking her hand.

"Thank you, Sir, it means a lot to me to have you say that," Christine replied almost normally.

As they left the room McCoy noticed her tense up again. "Do you wanna go out the back door?" he asked when they came to an intersection.

"Yes please, Leo. Right now I just want to get out of here quietly," Christine answered softly glancing nervously down the other hallways.

"Alright, this way," McCoy said turning right.

"Why are you so worried Miss Chapel?" Joanna asked as they hurried down the hall.

"I saw someone out front that I swore I'd never speak to again and I don't want to be made a liar by manners," Christine replied, from the way he glanced at her she could tell McCoy had picked up on the tremor in her voice and knew she wasn't telling the whole truth.

'Well it's as much of the truth as a ten year old girl needs to know,' she thought. 'Besides I did swear I wouldn't. What on Earth is he doing here anyway?' she wondered as they turned another corner, to the left this time. Now they were in the section of the building devoted to supplies and storage; there were also fewer people.

One more turn and they were outside.

"Thank you, Leo. I don't think I could have made it back out the front," Christine said finally breathing easier. "Can we go back to the barracks please?" she asked, looking at McCoy worriedly.

"Ok, but you'd have made it if you'd had to, Chris. C'mon, Jo, let's get back. Didn't you have another chess lesson with Chekov this afternoon?" McCoy asked Joanna as they headed for the barracks.

"Yes, Pavel said I was gettin' pretty good, for just really learnin'," Joanna said with a smile before darting off ahead of them.

"Jim, Chekov, and Spock started teachin' her last week. Chekov's been coverin' most of the technical stuff and Jim's been doin' the strategy. I'd started teachin' her a little years ago, just how the pieces moved and stuff. Jim challenged Spock to a match one afternoon and that started her wantin' to learn more. They ended up in a two on one game, her and Jim against Spock," McCoy explained seeing Christine's puzzled look.

"That ought to have been interesting to see. So who won?" Christine asked with a small smile.

"It ended up a draw, not that the Hobgoblin would admit it in a million years. Then Chekov added something up and I think Spock won by either one or two points. And it was interestin' no doubt about that," McCoy chuckled at the memory.

"I think Jim's Mom, Winona, got some holos of it, I'm goin' to see if I can get copies of all the ones she took. Don't worry, I'll let you see them, I know you won't give me a minutes peace if I don't," McCoy told her in a good imitation of his annoyed growl, making Christine smile a bit more. "Jo, come back here, I don't like ya gettin' too far ahead, Darlin'," McCoy called to Joanna, who'd been running ahead. When she got to them she surprised Christine a bit by grabbing her hand as well as well as her father's. The rest of the walk was filled with Joanna's chatter about the different things everyone was teaching her.

Chekov was waiting for Joanna on one of the small couches scattered down the hallways, chess board set up on a folding table next to him.

"Sorry we're late, Pavel. Daddy wanted Dr. McKenzie to make sure I was back to normal," Joanna apologized when they stepped out of the lift.

"Zhat is alright Joanna. I didn't mind zhe vait," Chekov replied smiling. "Are you ready for your next lesson?"

"Yep," Joanna replied, giving her Dad a hug and sitting on the other opposite end of the couch.

"Jo, Pavel, I need to go over some things with Chapel. Come get us if you need anything or if anyone you don't recognize comes up here," McCoy told them with a meaningful glance at Chekov, who nodded realizing something was up.

"Of course, Doktor. Ok, Joanna, vhat is your opening move?" he started the lesson as McCoy guided Christine to his quarters.

"I'll leave the door open if ya want," he offered as they entered.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not have this spillin' out to little ears," she replied glancing around in curiosity. Other than signs of hasty packing from two weeks ago and his and Joanna's bags by the door, the place was neat, she felt her cheeks warm slightly at the sight of a towel lying between the bathroom and bedroom doorways. 'Knock it off girl!' she scolded herself, taking a deep breath and sitting on the nearest end of the couch, pulling her braid over her shoulder and starting to nervously unravel it as she thought about the possible mess she was in.

As he shut the door, McCoy wondered why the sight of Christine worried like that had upset him so badly. Yes, she was a good friend, as well as one of the most level headed nurses he'd ever worked with. She had also proven to be one of the very few people to stand up to him when his temper got the best of him, telling him to go to hell once. McCoy shook his head entering the code in the synthesizer for a cup of chamomile tea, thinking of Spock saying once that his need to help went beyond common sense, but he knew that he needed to know what had her so spooked or he wouldn't be able to concentrate.

"Here, I thought ya might want this," McCoy said handing her the steaming cup and sitting on the other end of the couch.

"Thanks," Christine replied with a small smile, sipping the tea.

"So, what happened back there Chris? The last time I saw ya look like that was right after that damned dragon induced earthquake on Barengaria VII," McCoy asked, falling back on the nickname he'd given her when they were lab partners the last year at the Academy. Looking at her, he realized that this was the first time he'd seen her hair totally down; Christine normally wore it up out of the way on duty, but there had been several times she'd come in during late night emergencies or from relaxing in the rec rooms with it braided down her back like she'd had it today. With her hair loose she looked less like his Head Nurse and more like a twenty-three year old college student and he wasn't sure what he felt about the change.

"How much do you know 'bout why I changed my focus?" Christine asked softly, eyes on her cup.

"Not a hell of a lot, Chris. You remember how busy I was still testin' out of classes. Plus that was right after that whole mess with Cadet Aquardi switchin' the words on my refresher language tutoring for Dr McKenzie's 'Practicin' Interspecies Medicine' class," he said wondering what was going on.

"What happened was I was pretty much forced to switch to my minor focus in nursing because I was accused of plagiarism on my thesis," she admitted quietly.

McCoy was shocked; there was no way in hell the Christine Chapel he knew and had worked with for the last three and a half years had stooped to that.

"What really happened, Chris?" McCoy asked softly.

She gave him a small smile that just barely lifted the corners of her mouth at his faith in her, and took a deep breath. "You know I started nursin' when I was sixteen, took the beginner classes and then ended up helpin' my Aunt Susan durin' that levy break in New Orleans the next winter.

"I was roughly halfway through the basic course when I finished school and enlisted so I would have been able to skip a bunch of basic classes when I got here. I actually started studyin' bioresearch; we had a guest speaker in one of my senior year biology classes that got me interested in it, plus my Great Aunt was diagnosed with pyrrhoneuritis and one of the things I read for information was a paper you'd helped author on the disease. I still took some nursin' classes so I could work both sides if needed. You know how I hate to feel useless. The week between meetin' you and when I met Kirk I was starting to seriously work my thesis project," she smiled a bit at the memory of Kirk bursting into the clinic looking for McCoy to treat the split lip and bruises he'd acquired in a scuffle. "That's why I was so busy when we worked together at Medical and the clinic. Anyway, I was doing well enough that I was given the opportunity to work as assistant to an affiliated scientist during my junior fall term.

"He wasn't actually in Starfleet but they partly funded his research. You know how it goes. He was at the Academy doin' the final work to publish his findings from his last trip and to do preliminary plannin' for his next mission to one of the Exo planets, I don't really remember which, and I was supposed to help him get ready and possibly go with him," she paused staring into her teacup.

"He was impressed with the work I was doin' on my own into pyrrhoneuritis, turned out it was an off shoot of part of the medical archeology angle he was workin' on about how new diseases mutate out of older ones. Also how well I was handlin' the pressure of a demandin' thesis as well as the nursin' I was doin'," she sighed and continued. "He helped me out a couple of times as a soundin' board when I got stuck. I thought that it was normal to take that much personal interest in an assistant: dinners when workin' late, walkin' me back to my dorm, askin' about my classes and family; that sort of thing. You remember that huge paper I was workin' on for weeks?" she asked suddenly.

McCoy nodded remembering how obsessed she'd been about getting it perfect.

"Well that was supposed to be the final draft of my thesis for Dr Hanson, my adviser and had all my research in it. I let him read over my paper the week before it was due. I knew his was about to be published but he kindly offered. God, Leo, I wish I'd asked you to read it over instead like I'd first intended . Then things might have been different but you know the old sayin' 'bout hind sight. Anyway he praised it and only gave me a couple things to change on it. I was thrilled to think that I'd be helpin' find cures even if it meant that all my friends would graduate before me," Christine said with a humorless chuckle.

"The Friday his paper was published, he took me out to dinner to celebrate, black tie the whole nine yards. I was so thrilled that he'd picked me to go with him; I think I was more than half in love with him by then. He said that I'd helped him out by providing a different point of view for his work and dinner was his way of saying thanks; he asked me that night if I'd marry him and I said yes. That weekend I was over the moon," she said bitterly.

"I handed in my work on Monday; the next morning, I was called into Dr Hanson's office. Because of how similar my work was to parts of his, she- she accused me of plagiarizin' my entire paper. I did my best to defend myself, I even gave her my earliest notes and hypotheses from before I'd started workin' with him and all the lab hours I'd logged on my own but it didn't do any good. She'd already decided that I had done it and there was nothin' more to be said. She told me, that if I wanted to stay at the Academy I'd better change my focus; and if I did she wouldn't put it in my record other than I wasn't supposed to be in the labs unsupervised until I'd proved to her that I wasn't goin' to pull any more 'juvenile stunts'," Christine finished softly.

"Who was it Chris?" McCoy almost growled; he was holding onto his growing anger about what had happened as tightly as possible. For some reason both the revelation that she'd been engaged, no matter how briefly and the fact that she'd been manipulated like that, infuriated him.

"_Dr. Roger Korby_," she said the name like a curse. "_Roger_ acted like nothin' was wrong when I went to get my things after my _talk_ with Dr Hansen. So I lit into him 'bout how _my_ research got into _his_ paper and that I was gettin' accused of plagiarism because of him, as well as banned from the labs. He just smiled and said that anything I'd found while workin' with him was his property and I should have known that. And then he informed me that we'd have to wait till he got back from his speaking tour and mission to Exo whatever, to get married and he wanted to make sure I knew before he left at the end of the week for a string of symposiums covering his newest paper; so I'd be waitin' for him. I was so mad 'bout everythin' that I told him that it was bullshit. If he used my work I was supposed to get a credit for what I'd done and that V-Vulcan would freeze over before I'd have anything more to do with him. I gave him back his ring, got my things, and 'accidently' dumped some Xylathoric acid on the notes for his Exo trip as I left. I managed to time it so the group of students coming in to use the lab for a class covered me and he had no proof who did it," she finished, anger and humiliation warring on her face.

McCoy was furious both at Korby for manipulating her and at Hanson for her handling of the situation, but he had to smirk at her retribution on Korby. And at least now he knew why she always asked if she could share his lab time, but never went in the labs on her own. He also had a suspicion that she was trying to recreate her research.

"I was hopin' to never see him again, so I went ahead with the change of focus to nursing and threw myself into it and managed to end up on the _Enterprise_," Christine finished sadly with a humorless chuckle, eyes locked on the empty cup in her hands.

"So it was Korby you saw today that spooked you?"

Christine nodded refusing to look at him.

"Let me guess, you're worried Korby'll make a big stink 'bout you bein' Head Nurse on the _Enterprise_ by bringin' up the supposed plagiarism right?" at her nod McCoy shook his head. "Chris, I'm not gonna get rid of my best nurse because of one bastard that can't do his own work. And I don't give a rat's ass about Hanson and her damn 'orders'. If they try to raise a fuss I'll talk to Dr McKenzie about it. He's no nonsense 'bout shit like this, and I'll bet she never told him what really happened. You're one of the most thorough people in the lab that I've ever seen outside Spock's science department geeks," McCoy told her, pleased to get a small but real smile from her.

"Ok, I trust you, besides Hanson was on the _Wolcott_ so it's just Korby that might cause problems. But he's got such a reputation. Still, thank you for everything, Leo," Christine said gratefully as she squeezed his forearm.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Chris. But I don't mind tellin' you I'm bein' a bit selfish bout keepin' you. You're the only nurse on the damn ship that doesn't walk on eggshells around me on a bad day. And you're the best nurse I've worked with in or out of Starfleet. And if you need any help with your research, ask me." McCoy chuckled at the look of surprise on her face as he patted her hand.

Christine looked down to cover her blush at his praise and offer as she set her cup on the table. "Thank you, Leo. I'll definitely take you up on that offer, once everything's settled."

"I do have another thing I wanted to discuss with you," McCoy told her as the blush faded.

"What's that, Leo?" Christine asked sitting back against the cushions.

"Have you seen the new rosters yet?" he asked mischievously making Christine chuckle.

"No, I've had even less time than you today, as you well know, Leo," Christine told him with a cheeky grin.

"Well let's get goin' on them so we aren't up half the night for the first two weeks back on the damn ship," McCoy said getting up and retrieving a PADD from his desk.

"Ok, I'll go get mine and we'll start figurin' this out," Christine said as she got up and headed for her quarters. "I'll be right back," she called as she stepped into the hall.

As Jim stepped into the hall, straightening his gold shirt, he saw Uhura standing in the middle of the hallway between his and Spock's doors struggling with the clasp on her necklace.

"Can I help?" he asked stepping closer.

"If you would, Kirk," Uhura replied, turning her head to look at him. "The clasp's stuck or something; and it's just short enough I can't see what's wrong," she explained with a huff of exasperation as he gently took the clasp from her.

"Don't worry this'll only take a minute," Jim told her, carefully opening the tiny clasp with an inaudible pop. "There you are, Uhura," he said handing her the ends and stepping back as Spock exited his quarters.

"Thank you," she said sliding the ring off into her left hand.

"I apologize if I kept you waiting," Spock said joining them. "I was delayed by a brief message from my Father inquiring if we had arrived safely. It was only polite to send a reply and I suggested dinner this week at his convenience," he explained with a glance at Uhura.

"Don't worry about it, Spock, I've only been here long enough to help Uhura with a stuck necklace. I think there's something wrong with the clasp. At least I felt it 'pop' when I got it open," Jim said as they walked to the lift.

"Thanks, I'll have it looked at. I suppose just about anything could have happened to it. My Bibi, Grandmother, gave it to me before we left. It's been in the family for generations," Uhura said looking at the clasp herself.

As soon as the doors shut, Spock reached over and pressed the 'stop' button.

"May I, Nyota?" he asked holding out his hand to her. She placed the ring in his hand, a small smile on her face as he took her hand, and slipped the ring on her finger.

"Thank you, Mpenzi," she murmured as Spock leaned down to gently press his forehead to hers.

"Always, k'diwa," he replied just loud enough for her to hear.

After a glance at them when Spock had stopped the lift; Jim forced himself to face the door. It seemed like the least he could do since they were in such a small space. But he had to interrupt them after a couple minutes; they did have to go explain everything to Adm. Pike.

"I, uh, hate to interrupt, but we do need to get going," Jim said still looking at the door.

"Thank you for the reminder, Captain. Forgive me. It is difficult not to relax in the presence of someone who knows of our engagement," Spock said as they stepped apart.

"Don't worry about it, Spock. And I wouldn't have interrupted except that we're gonna be late if we don't get moving. It's going to be interesting convincing Pike that this wasn't a prank," Jim replied turning to look at them with a shrug, as Spock restarted the lift.

"Why would he think this was a prank? I thought you filled out the forms and saved them?" Uhura asked.

"I filled a few things out in other peoples' names, mostly Bones', my first year here. Anyway I saved a blank set, when I filled yours out so that I'd have an idea what they were next time I need them. Pike found the blanks; cause I encrypted the completed ones when I saved them," Jim replied. "And I know he couldn't break the encryption at least not this fast."

"Why is that, Captain?" Spock asked intrigued, as they exited the building.

"I used the encryption I wrote and gave you two, Bones, Giotto and Scotty after we almost got hacked by that tabloid, six, seven months ago. There's no way Pike could've done it in just over an hour. I tested it with the ship's computers and they couldn't crack it in a week. Plus, I know that if he had, he wouldn't have accused me of playing a prank on you two. I'm good with computers but there is no way I could have forged your hand writing, Spock. And before you ask, I saved the blank forms as 'Spock and Uhura' because it was only temporary till we got back here and I could put it on my PADD with the rest of my non- routine forms," Jim explained as they hurried to Pike's building.

"That explains that. Next time don't put other people's names on files," Uhura said shooting him a quick exasperated glare.

"At least not on this type of thing I won't," Jim agreed with a nod and a sheepish smile.

As they stepped off the lift outside Pike's office Jim shared a nervous glance with Spock and Uhura as he pressed the chime.

"_Come in,"_ came Pike's voice through the intercom as Jim hit the button to open the door.

As they stepped in Pike looked at them gravely, Jim was glad he had Spock and Uhura behind him in this.

"Would you care to explain this Kirk?" Pike asked sliding a PADD across his desk.

"Sir, I asked Spock to get those for me on Wednesday night," Jim started to explain only to have Pike interrupt him.

"And why would you suddenly need them?"

"Spock had heard from a reputable source that I'd need them when we got back here because of the pending engagement of two of my crew. I thought it would be better to have them ready than to have to try and figure out which ones I kept and who filled out what on short notice, Admiral. I put their names on the file because Uhura was there when Spock told the time it seemed a good way of reminding myself what it was," Jim finished looking slightly over Pike's shoulder to keep from grinning at the baffled expression on his face.

"And who's supposed to be getting engaged, as well as the name of your reputable source?" Pike inquired looking between the three of them and starting to wonder what was really going on.

"I have that information, Admiral," Spock said and handed over his PADD as he finished pulling up the forms.

As he read them over, Pike had the grace to look a bit shamefaced. But in his defense this was the kind of thing that Jim had pulled a couple of times at the Academy. The most memorable was when he'd signed Bones up for basic flight lessons, trying to help his aviaphobia, although he'd signed himself up too so that McCoy wouldn't go through it alone. But there was no mistaking Spock's handwriting; it was too distinctive for anyone to really copy.

'Well this won't be the first time I've had to apologize for jumping to conclusions. That sure doesn't make it any easier though,' he thought with a sigh as he looked up at the trio in front of him.

"Before I can sign off on this I have a few questions," Pike said turning to Spock and Uhura and motioning them all to sit. "I know you were Spock's TA, Uhura, so I have to ask when this started."

"Sir, after I began working as his TA we became friends," Uhura said with a glance at Spock. "It took a while to get used to working with each other for that to happen. As we got closer as friends, we'd talk about our days or I'd translate news happenings while we worked; it started out as a way to help me with differentiating between languages and dialects and how to translate quickly to and from Standard and other languages."

"We both came to take satisfaction in what began as a scientific drill. I found myself looking forward to our sessions as I had the classes, when Nyota was one of my students, because of her quick mind and wit. Especially accounts of some of Nyota's interactions with you, Captain," Spock added with an amused glance at Jim. "I also came to value both her opinion and advice on various human topics that puzzled me."

"It wasn't planned, Admiral. As we worked together, our friendship slowly changed. I kept quiet about my feelings because I didn't want to lose our friendship, or to cause either of us trouble. It was after my Mama died, my last year, that we came to admit how we felt. I broke down in his office and he picked up on my feelings as he was trying to comfort me. But he didn't say anything about it until over two months later, when we sat down and actually discussed what we were both feeling and were going to do about it," Uhura explained.

"I was concerned how such a regard for each other would impact both our working relationship as well as our friendship, so I did not wish to be the one to broach the subject first. And since I'd discovered her feelings towards myself while she was emotionally vulnerable, it was a moral dilemma as well. There was also the Fraternization Code to consider, and how any type of discovery could possibly impact us. It was a relief that Nyota was in the same situation as I; when we discussed matters, it became clear that we were each attempting to protect the other. The change in our relationship troubled me though since I was, at that time, unable to honorably pursue what was happening between us," Spock added.

"Why was that Spock?" Pike inquired intrigued.

"I was at that time already bonded to another. It is a form of what you would call an arranged marriage, Captain," Spock said in explanation seeing the puzzled look on Jim's face.

"When I brought the issue up during our conversation, we agreed that it was logical to wait to attempt any type of actual relationship until after her graduation. That would remove the most pressing barrier as I would no longer have an influence over her grades and behavior. I had already considered the consequences of dissolving my bond before Nyota became my assistant and put off any action until a more opportune time as any action would require time I could not afford to spend away from my duties. There were numerous rumors from reputable sources that T'Pring, the one I was bonded to, had been seeing and was involved with another. After Nyota and I 'cleared the air' I believe is the correct term, I was waiting for the end of term break after graduation to request a leave of absence to return home and confront T'Pring concerning both the rumors and request the severance of our bond," Spock explained. "Also I would have been initiating the steps necessary for starting the proceedings to formalizing a bond with Nyota with the Vulcan council."

"So nothing happened while you were a Cadet?" Pike asked causing them to exchange amused glances.

"I was on the receiving end of several spontaneous embraces, caused by high spirits, as well as comforting her at the death of her mother, which led to the revelation of our mutual regard. However, the only serious breaches of protocol occurred while we were on the _Enterprise,_ almost immediately after Vulcan's loss. Nyota attempted to comfort me, and I kissed her moments before we beamed aboard the Narada to rescue you," Spock told him.

"It never went any further? Ever?" Pike asked. Uhura and Spock both shook their heads. "Ok. So you never let your relationship affect your judgment?" Pike asked looking hard at both of them.

"Only once; and if I had not we would not be having this discussion. I had begun hearing rumors of my favoring Nyota from several students who believed that I had marked their assignments unfairly because of conflicts they were having with her, that she was influencing me in regards to their grades. That insinuation led me to place her initially on the Farragut prior to heading to Vulcan. I allowed her anger and emotional argument to persuade me to change her to the _Enterprise_ at the last minute. I have no regrets in light of what happened, but there was no logical reason for making the switch at the time," Spock replied.

"I did badger him into it too, Sir. I'd been working for a place on the _Enterprise_ from the beginning and knew I deserved to be there, I was more indignant about being placed elsewhere to 'avoid the appearance of favoritism' than anything concrete," Uhura said with a slight blush.

"So that mission brought your feelings out in the open, so to speak. How many of the crew know about your relationship?" the Admiral asked taking notes.

"I think I can answer that, Sir," Jim said. "I admit that I try and keep track of the ship's gossip if only to make sure that we aren't going to have personal disputes causing trouble with assignment or missions. But I haven't heard either Spock or Uhura's names seriously linked romantically. A few times because of some of their collaborations to boost our communications, but that's all. Anytime I've heard someone suggest a romance it's been shot down as a 'when hell freezes over' possibility. I think that other than Scotty I'm the only one who has any real idea that they're more than close friends and colleagues. And we wouldn't have if we hadn't seen them kissing in the transporter room right before we went to get you and the Ambassador's ship," Jim said with a grin at Uhura. "Bones might suspect something; though if he does its more likely he suspects me of trying to match make. He accused me of that after Spock was hurt on Barengaria VII and I had Uhura keep checking in with Medbay on Spock's condition, because she didn't want to start the rumor mill about them if she was in and out on her own."

"Christine Chapel knows we're both seeing someone, Admiral, just not that it's each other. I told her once Spock had mentioned something to me in passing about being late to meet someone when we were working on a communications problem; and she knows I'm seeing someone on the ship, but I won't tell her who it is," Uhura added with a smirk at the memory of her friend trying to wheedle the name out of her.

"Ok, that clears that up," Pike said making a couple notes and signing his name to the bottom of one of the forms. "This still has to go up the chain a few more steps but I don't see any difficulty with it. All three of you might be called in for interviews on Monday concerning the impact this has and will have on the crew and your jobs, it'll most likely be a formality at this point, but be prepared, " Pike said making his way around his desk as Uhura grinned and turned her ring around on her finger.

"May I see?" Pike asked her. "It's beautiful. Spock, where did you get this?" he asked looking at his former shipmate.

"It is a copy of the one my Father gave to my Mother. It had been in her family for generations, and my grandfather gave it to my father when he asked for her hand," Spock replied softly as Pike nodded in understanding.

"Well, congratulations to you both. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions about this. The only excuse I have is that with everything going on I wasn't thinking straight," Pike said looking at them.

"That's okay, Admiral; I've done a few things similar to this before, so I guess it's natural," Jim replied with a grin that made Pike smile in return. "We really were going to tell you this afternoon, you just beat us to it finding that disk."

"Well no matter how it happened, I'm glad for both of you," Pike added as they stood to leave. "Please keep me informed of what your plans are."

"Well let me know when you hear back and how you want to go from there," Jim said as they stepped off the lift at their floor of the officer's barracks.

"You will be the first," Spock replied calmly.

Joanna was helping Chekov put away the chess set and grinned at them.

"Uncle Jim, Shangazi* Nyota, Mr. Spock I almost beat Pavel!" Joanna told them excitedly as she hugged Jim and Uhura and grinned up at Spock.

"She put me in check and captured zhree of my pieces," Chekov explained "She vill be a wery good player, I zhink," he added closing the chess box.

"Good job, JoJo," Jim said grinning at her enthusiasm. "Where's your Dad?"

"He's in our room workin' on physicals with Miss Christine," Joanna said.

Jim started smirking at the mental picture her innocent statement caused, until Uhura smacked him lightly across the back of the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he demanded rubbing the spot.

"To get your mind out of the gutter," Uhura calmly replied as Joanna, and Chekov started laughing at the exchange.

"Did you have to hit so hard?" Jim asked giving her his best injured puppy look.

"I didn't hit you that hard, Kirk, so don't whine," Uhura retorted, with a smirk of her own. Jim just chuckled and headed down the hall.

"I'll be right back. Why don't you change back and we'll get going?" Jim said as he reached Bones' door. It was part way open, so he just leaned in. "Hey, Bones."

"What, Jim? We're busy," McCoy sighed looking up.

"Before you yell at me for interrupting, I wanted to ask if you wanted to go with us to show Joanna around."

"Around where, Jim?" McCoy asked worriedly; around could mean a lot of things to Jim. The Kid had once dragged him all over San Francisco their first year saying he wanted to 'take a look around'.

"Just around Starfleet, and maybe go to that pizza place we used to hit all the time," Jim shrugged. "You're invited too, Christine. I thought we might all hang out a bit our last night and then get together tomorrow and go over the rosters together," he reasoned.

"Jim do you have any idea how hard it is to work these damn physicals into the schedule? Especially with two court dates on top of everything else that normally goes on?" Bones demanded.

"I know, Bones. Calm down. I'm not trying to say you don't have as much if not more to do than I do, ok. I just thought it would be nice to have a bit of fun before we have to go back to work. JoJo's gonna be doing school work at least most of the weekend to finish getting caught up from the last two weeks so we'll have the time," Jim said.

McCoy looked at his PADD and sighed again, Jim was right about Joanna's school work.

"Ok, Jim, I'd kinda forgot 'bout Jo's school work. Damn, it's just been nice to have her here," Bones said shutting his PADD off, knowing his daughter wouldn't like being cooped up for the next two days in a fairly strange place, but would handle it better if she knew a bit more about it.

"That's that spirit, Bones. Are you in too?" he asked Christine.

"I don't know, Kirk; I don't think I'd better," Christine sighed

"Why not?" Jim asked, a bit concerned seeing one of his favorite nurses looking worried.

Christine shot a glance at McCoy; he nodded for her to continue. "There's someone I'm tryin' to avoid," she said softly looking warily at the open door. "I almost ran into him at Medical, and I really don't want to run the risk."

"C'mon, we all need some fresh air. Do I have to make it an order, Nurse Chapel?" Jim asked with a mocking grin.

"Ok, just let me get my hair fixed," Christine said giving in easily, reaching up to gather her hair together, realizing that she'd have the others as cover and it would be harder for _Roger_ to track her down if he had a mind to if she was on the move.

"Don't bother. We're going in normal clothes and trying not to be recognized," Jim said as he turned to leave. "Bones, if you can't find your sun glasses I have an extra pair," Jim called over his shoulder as he headed for his quarters to change, again.

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><p>*Mpenzi K'diwa- beloved in Swahili/Vulcan

*Shangazi- Aunt


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** OK I really want to thank Bookdragon01 for helping me with this chapter. Basically I had Spock so far OOC I couldn't figure out how to get him back to the normal half-Vulcan we all know and love. So Thank you Bookdragon01 I know this wouldn't have been up for weeks if ever without you.

Nope only the people you don't recognize are mine as well as the attitudes of those minor characters we don't have much info on this go round.

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><p>'We did a pretty good job on short notice,' Uhura thought looking at the others when they met back up in the hall ten minutes later. She and Christine had their hair down, Christine's held out of her eyes by a blue ribbon that matched her eyes and the trim on her grey sweater with a pair of jeans. Her own hair was loose down her back with the African skirt her mother had given her for her birthday her third year, blue shirt and denim jacket. Len hadn't changed from that morning's jeans and t-shirt, just grabbing his old battered black jacket and his black hat; Joanna and Pavel looked like any child and teenager she'd seen in the last three weeks. They were waiting on Jim and Spock.<p>

"Well you two look like college girls, not Starfleet officers. Not sure what I look like though," McCoy commented looking at them. Joanna nodded from her seat on the couch.

"You look handsome, Daddy," she said chuckling at the look of pleased surprise on his face as Jim joined them.

He was back in his clothes form that morning with an old fashioned blue baseball cap on his head the brim hiding part of his face as he fiddled with what looked like a prop out of an old vid.

"Where's Spock?" Jim asked looking up and causing Uhura to start as she caught sight of his face.

"Jim! What happened?" the words came out almost unconsciously. He'd somehow managed to turn his blue eyes almost the same shade of hazel as Len and Joanna's.

Her exclamation caused the others to whirl around in shock.

Jim just chuckled as they stared at him. "Sorry, I forgot that you'd never seen these before. Don't worry, it's just colored contacts. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Damnit Jim, a bit of warning next time," Bones groused looking both put out and intrigued at the change as Joanna got up and studied Jim's face.

"Where did you get them and why?" Uhura asked baffled as to their purpose.

"You look weird, Uncle Jim," Joanna told him after a few moments.

"Thanks, JoJo," Jim chuckled. "I started looking into them after everything two years ago so that I could move around a bit more. People see a different eye color they think they were mistaken and you aren't who they thought. But I didn't have time to get them with everything going on. I managed to pick them up when we had that crazy mission with the Orion smugglers, in case I needed to really go undercover or get the hell out of there without being identified," Jim explained.

"Identified as what, Captain?" Spock asked as he stepped out of his quarters in time to hear the tail end of Jim's last remark.

"An inconsiderate jackass," McCoy said rolling his eyes and looking put out at his friend's antics.

"Indeed? And why is that?" he asked as Jim turned around. Spock's eyes widened almost comically before narrowing suspiciously.

"Yes it's me, Spock. It's only colored contact lenses, I got them when we were stuck doing recon work during that smuggling mission with the _Republic_, just in case," Jim said with a half smile as Spock relaxed again.

"But why brown out of all the colors you could have picked?" Uhura asked, still puzzled by his choice.

"I was curious how I'd really look." Jim said with a crooked smile. "Here, Spock, try this for covering your ears," he said handing Spock the extra hat.

"I do not understand how a hat will stop others from recognizing me," Spock said, gingerly taking the hat and turning it over in his hands looking puzzled.

"I think I do, Spock," Uhura said. "This will cover your two most distinctive features, your ears and eyebrows, at least from a distance. If this works the news crews won't give any of us a second glance," Uhura said as she helped carefully settle the hat on his head making sure the points of his ears were tucked inside.

"Is that suitable?"

"Perfect, Spock. As long as they don't get too close no one will be able to tell who you are," Uhura said stepping back to check the effect of the grey fedora with his dark green turtleneck and charcoal sweater.

"Well shall we go?" Jim asked as they headed for the lift. "I left messages for Scotty and Sulu, so they can hopefully catch up at some point."

They spent two hours wandering the grounds of Starfleet and the Academy, showing Joanna the sights and sharing stories of the adventures and misadventures of their years at the Academy. They ended up in the gardens late in the afternoon.

"Can we go see the new garden?" Joanna asked as they reached the original Kelvin Memorial.

"We'll have to see if there are any news crews still camped out front Darlin'," Bones told her. "If we can't walk in without gettin' mobbed, we'll see 'bout gettin' some help so we can look in peace later."

Joanna nodded, she'd managed to sneak enough of the coverage right after the Narada attacks that she remembered how crazy the news people could get. She'd finally got caught and punished by her mother but it had been worth it to be sure her Daddy and Uncle Jim were both alright. And the good thing was that her mother had let her talk to her Daddy whenever he could call while they were grounded so she wouldn't be sneaking around to find out what was happening.

The original Kelvin memorial was a plain black obelisk with only the ship's name, dates and the names of those lost inscribed on it.

Joanna looked at it for a few minutes. "Why'd they make it so ugly Uncle Jim?" she asked.

"I have no idea JoJo. I've wondered that a few times myself; especially with some of the elaborate ones they have," Jim replied looking at it.

"It is hardly a requirement for a memorial to be aesthetically pleasing. But in this case I find that I must agree with you, Captain, this is one of the most unappealing memorials at Starfleet," Spock said as he came to stand beside them.

"Any idea why it ended up looking like this, Spock?" Jim asked looking over at his First Officer curiously.

"No, Captain. Why would you assume that I would, as I am approximately only two point four seven Earth years older than you?" Spock looked at him, eye brow raised.1

"Yeah, but you were at the Academy longer so I thought you might have heard," Jim shrugged.

"In that case I believe the elder Adm. Archer might be the person to answer your inquiry. He has been here longer than both of us, though he is now retired," Spock replied, with a Vulcan smile.

"I probably will at some point, if I think about it, when I see him," Jim said with an answering grin.

"I agree with the both of ya it's the ugliest thing on the campus. That is if you don't count seein' Tellerite cadets for a full physical in the hospital. Then I think it's a tie," McCoy remarked finishing his circuit of the monument.

"Doctor, what possible correlation could there be between this monument's lack of aesthetics and giving a Tellerite a routine medical evaluation?" Spock asked, slightly bewildered that there could be a connection.

"Spock, you ever see a Tellerite in the buff, as in naked?" McCoy deadpanned.

"I have not, Doctor, nor have I been in a situation where I would have. Why?" Spock asked, still puzzled.

"If you had you wouldn't have to ask. They are 'bout the only thing I know that's worse to look at then this thing," McCoy explained waving his hand at the stone in front of them as Jim and Joanna burst out laughing.

"I am pretty sure zhat zhe new vone vill look better zhan zhis."Chekov remarked as he, Uhura and Christine completed their own circuits and joined them. "I do not zhink it could look vorse."

"Amen to that." Christine added causing Uhura to nod in agreement as they left.

A couple of minutes later they caught their first real glimpse of the new memorial. Everyone paused for a moment at the sight, though they'd seen images of it. The walls were fourteen feet high with the glass roof rising ten feet above them. It was the walls themselves that made them pause. The champagne colored stone walls were covered by a colored bas relief of the Vulcan landscape. The front wall was decorated with the area around Shi'Kahr, where Spock had grown up. They could only see part of the left side showing The Forge. It almost hurt to look at the images but Spock found he was glad they were there where they would be remembered.

"Are you alright?" Nyota asked softly.

"Yes I had not realized how detailed the walls were, I was- surprised. It is a most faithfully detailed recreation," Spock replied as they continued walking and the true scope of the details became clear. Everything down to the sparse tufts of grass was included.

McCoy shook his head in wonder at the sight. "I wouldn't have wanted to live there but it was definitely an interestin' lookin' place," he said as they reached the first set of doors.

Once inside, they immediately shed their coats and hats at the heat, it was like stepping into a San Francisco August, and stepped through the second set. Everyone but Spock and Uhura gasped at how much hotter it was just from the entrance; like stepping into Death Valley for desert training. As Jim hastily removed his contacts before they could dry out, they paused for a few minutes to try and get at least a bit used to the heat, looking around the memorial as Scotty and Sulu caught up with them.

The walls for the ships were ten feet high and of white veined black granite, polished to a mirror finish with a small image next to each name, while the actual walls of the garden were inset with ten foot high slabs of polished red granite and engraved in flowing Vulcan script.

They wandered through the garden, starting with the ships, more or less together but giving the others their space and a shoulder if needed, waiting until they were all finished before moving on to the next. They found many names that they wished weren't there: friends, teachers, even a few friendly enemies.

Uhura froze when she found Gaila's name on the wall for the _Farragut_, and tears filled her eyes for her friend and roommate. She didn't hear the footsteps behind her and jumped slightly at the hand on her shoulder.

"I miss her," she murmured feeling his hand tremble slightly as her tears started to fall. It didn't really faze her when Jim gently turned her to face him and pulled her into his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder. Or that when she wrapped her arms around his waist that he buried his face in her shoulder and let a few of his own tears fall. Even the feeling of safety and strength she felt as she rested her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat as their tears slowed was only slight surprise. It was easy to forget this tender side of him, since not many people saw it, but it was as much a part of him as the devil may care attitude or the now slightly reddened blue eyes that were watching her sadly.

"I do too Nyota," Jim said as they stepped back and wiped their eyes. "I'd give just about anything to be able to apologize to her for using her password to hack into Spock's test. I-I was going to but she wouldn't -talk to me and I couldn't find her -before we left and then," he stopped swallowing thickly as more tears threatened, gently tracing the image by her name as he forced them back.

"I know. She always stuck up for you Jim," Uhura said laying her hand on his arm. "When I'd come in ranting about something you did, she'd laugh and say that you weren't as bad as I thought and that I needed to get past the way we met and actually get to know you. Once she said that she thought we fought like siblings all the time and I told her that she was crazy. But she was right, I did need to get past the obnoxious, womanizing farm boy I'd convinced myself you were," Uhura said with a watery smile.

"And the cadet who cheated on your fiancé's pet test?" Jim chuckled softly.

"That too. She could drive me insane sometimes but she was one of the best friends I've ever had," Uhura replied reaching up to run her fingers over Gaila's name.

"She's someone I'll never forget either, kidogo dada," Jim said softly and watched her eyes widen in surprise at hearing him call her 'little sister' in Swahili.

"That's for sure ndugu." Uhura chuckled at his face as he tried to figure out what she'd called him.

"Ndugu?" Jim asked, struggling only slightly over the pronunciation.

"It means brother, though I'm still trying to figure out whether to change it to mdogo or kaka. Younger or older brother," she said still chuckling at him.

"Well I am four years older than you, 1" Jim began as they started walking.

"I'm still not entirely convinced of that fact, especially given your penchant for juvenile pranks," Uhura interrupted, giving him a level stare softened by her faint smile.

"Ok, ok, I'll give you that one; but I was born before you so technically that makes me older," Jim said as they continued scanning the names in companionable silence, catching up to the others.

"Amin. Do svidaniya, Maikl, I vill newer forget you." Chekov said sadly, as McCoy reached the section of the _Hood's_ wall where the young navigator was standing, staring at one of the names.

"You ok Pavel?" he asked, not liking the slightly lost look on the navigator's face.

"Da Doktor. I found my roommate, Maikl Connor, he showed me around zhe Academy and made sure zhat zhe older guys did not push me around my first year," Chekov told him, pointing the name out. The image next to it was of a handsome red haired young man.

"He vas an engineer on zhe _Hood_."

"I'm sorry, Kid," McCoy said resting his hand on his shoulder.

"I know. He told me zhat he vanted to hear all about zhe _Enterprise_ vhen ve got back, and zhat I vas zhe lucky vone to be on it," Chekov trailed off blinking hard.

"I think we all were lucky to be on it, still are at times. I'm pretty sure your friend would be the first to tell ya that," McCoy offered.

"He vould, but I still miss him."

"I know. I've found more names on these damn walls than I ever wanted to. All I can tell you is to remember the good times rather than dwell on the fact he's gone. At least that's what my Mama told me after my granddad died when I was around Jo's age," McCoy told him gently as Joanna hurried over from the end of the wall to give her friend a quick hug.

"Zhank you both," Chekov replied taking one last look at the wall as he joined them to walk to the next section where Sulu was waiting for them.

"You're welcome Pavel. I'm sorry, that ya lost him too," Joanna said with a small smile that Chekov returned.

The names along the outer walls were written in formal Vulcan script so only Spock and Uhura were able to read them fluently, though the rest knew enough to more or less read them with a small amount of help.

It was hard for Spock to look at the lists, so many names of those he'd known. Even the names of those who'd tormented him as a child weighed him, since they were still a part of his past, even if there were parts he would rather forget at times. As they walked Uhura quietly read the names of the cities to Joanna and explained their importance.

When they reached the list for Shi'Kahr, Spock stopped, he'd found the names of distant family members and friends of his Father's on almost every section of the walls; but this was different, these were his Aunts, Uncles, cousins and a few friends. While a part of him needed to see their names and remember them; he knew his Mother's name would be here as well and he wasn't sure he wished to see it. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and realized that no amount of Vulcan discipline would really help with this, just as it truly hadn't when he lost her. Opening his eyes he looked at the names remembering their faces easily.

To his surprise and disquiet his mother wasn't listed with the other residents, or his father's family members. He even checked the green marble stele that held the list of off worlders, set in its own ring of Vulcan garden plants between the larger monuments. For a moment anger at the omission threatened to overwhelm him as it had at Jim's accusation that he hadn't loved her, only this time it was deeper in a way because his father had to have known about the omission and hadn't warned him.

Joanna's voice snapped him out of his thoughts before they could go any farther.

"Daddy, I didn't know that roses grew on Vulcan," she said pointing beyond the other memorials.

In the corner, where it was almost hidden behind a trellis of Nar'ru Vines, was a small bed of roses around a smaller stone of creamy white marble. Roses had been one of his mother's favorite flowers, so much so that she'd worn rose perfume every day.

"I didn't know they did either, Jo," McCoy answered thoughtfully, looking at the bushes with interest.

"They were not native to Vulcan, but my- mother managed to cultivate a few varieties," Spock said softly, crossing swiftly to read the stone.

'In loving memory of Amanda Grayson, wife of Ambassador Sarek, and mother of Spock. Born Seattle Earth, 2202 - death Katric Ark, Vulcan, 2258. 'As roses speak silently of love, in a language known only to the heart, so shall her memory speak in our hearts forever. Having bound herself to Vulcan in life, may she be bound with the lost to the Source of all Life.'

Spock had to close his eyes. No matter how 'logical' they might considerate to be to show emotion here, he would not cry in front of his shipmates.

Everyone else went back to reading the names and let him have a private moment. As they finished, Joanna walked over to where Spock stood still trying to calm the emotions rolling through him at the inscription.

Joanna stood beside him reading the stone silently; then she looked up at him, "I'm sorry Mr. Spock. She must have been proud of you though," she said.

Spock looked down at Joanna in surprise; as his Mother's words the day he refused the VSA seemed to echo in his mind: 'You'll always have a proud mother'. He quickly shut his eyes again as the tide of emotion came rushing back, swamping his control for a moment.

"Are you ok? I didn't mean to upset ya," Joanna said worriedly, forgetting and laying her hand on his. Spock felt Joanna's worry spike through the contact but couldn't manage to form the words to explain.

Spock almost moved away when he felt someone come to stand at his side; but Nyota's hand on his arm stopped him long enough for her concern to register. The rest moved in as close as they dared. Though they didn't touch him, but he could still feel the echo of their concern. Their silent support gave his mind something to hold onto as he finally let go of his struggle against the grief, only dimly registering Nyota's arms supporting him as his mind turned inward. Letting his emotions roll through him behind his hastily erected defenses he relived the final moments on Vulcan again, his drawn brows the only outward sign of his inner turmoil.

As his mind cleared, a half remembered saying crossed his mind as he became aware of his surroundings again. 'Family is what you make of it.' He couldn't remember where he'd heard or read it but it had made no real sense then. Now he felt he might be starting to understand. The _Enterprise_ had become his home, and though it would never replace Vulcan, he was valued as he hadn't always been there; and even as frustrating as they could be, those with him were closer in many ways than most of his Vulcan family had been. Once again he felt a weight lift as another piece seemed to fall into place for him, as he took a deep breath.

A few moments later he felt Nyota tenderly brush his jaw.

"I apologize for my lack of cont-" Spock started to say as he opened his eyes, slowly turning to face the others.

"Spock, don't worry 'bout it. I think we've all lost it at some point to day," Jim interrupted him. "You have a stronger reason to than all of us put together."

"Then I believe the correct response is thank you," he said with a small bow to all of them, bringing smiles and nods of understanding from the others as he forced his emotions back under full control again.

"Joanna, you did not cause my- discomfort. What you said reminded me of something my Mother told me the day I decided to join Starfleet, that no matter my choices, she would always be proud of me. I had not thought of that in many years. I was not able to return often to see her after that, though we spoke often," he reassured her getting a smile in return.

"Ok," Joanna replied and shocked him with a quick hug

"Whenever your ready, Spock," Jim said nodding towards the door.

"Thank you –Jim." he replied straightening his sweater before turning towards the entrance.

After getting their disguises back on, Jim's contacts shocked Scotty and Sulu as much as they had the others. They headed out again dodging a few straggling reporters to leave the Starfleet grounds and headed for Pizza My Heart2 a few blocks away.

**A/N:** Ok I've got a couple for you with this chapter. Yes there was more going on this time.

1- I've fiddled with a few characters ages. I couldn't find any definitive birth year for Uhura other than the 2230's with a possibility of 2239. That would put her at approximately 19 during the movie and 16 when she meets Jim in the bar. Since his birth is the last 'set in stone' birth now, I moved her to being born in 2237. The rationalization being that she has to be at least 18 to be drinking when they meet and Jim is 22 at that time. I kept Chapel and Sulu's ages the same; so they're roughly 21 during the movie, and 23 here, along with Uhura. I couldn't see Spock really going for someone that much younger than himself; 7 years is a big enough gap. He's 27-28 in the movie since we're never given a clue as to when his birthday falls other than he's born in 2230. Everyone else I've taken a rough guess at if I couldn't find anything concrete at Memory Alpha. (Spock's comment to Jim at the original Kelvin memorial and Jim and Uhura's conversation after finding Gaila's name)

2- Pizza My Heart is a real restaurant in San Francisco and 17 other locations including Emeryville. From the view of the Golden Gate Bridge in the film as everyone runs outside when Nero starts the drill, it looks like the Academy is in the Oakland/ Berkley/ Emeryville area directly opposite the bridge. That's also where it looks like the shuttles launch from in the beginning to take everyone to the ships. (Going out to dinner)


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Herre's the next chapter. Thank you to Bookdragon01 for taking time to beta this before the holiday. Hopefully I'll have time to get somemore written this weekend after the 'turkey coma' wears off. Take care everyone!

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><p>As soon as they were seated in the historic restaurant, the discussion of what to order started.<p>

"We need at least two maybe three larges; just to feed all of us; so what toppings do we want?" Jim asked as he handed out menus.

"_No _anchovies, Jim. I don't care what else is on them but I'm drawin' the line at those- _things_," Bones said with a scowl at his friend.

"Sheesh Bones, I only did that once. And it was what? Four and a half years ago? I didn't realize that when they said everything they really meant _everything_," Jim defended himself drawing chuckles from the others and an amused eyebrow raise from Spock.

"The appeal and point of putting preserved fish on a pizza is one I have never understood. I take it that you neglected to read the list of toppings before ordering?" Spock inquired dryly.

"Unfortunately I only read part of the list. I'd thought that putting anchovies on pizza was just an old myth; I'd never actually heard of them being offered before. Don't worry Bones, I'm not gonna do that again," Jim replied making a face at the memory. "Spock, I have no idea why anyone would put them on a pizza; they taste nasty anyway. So what do we all agree on? "

"I don't think there is a point to addin' them," McCoy muttered, shaking his head at the memory as well.

"Make one a vegetarian, the Asilomar is good, Spock and I have had it a couple times. The other two can be whatever," Uhura said, looking up from where she was leaning over Joanna's shoulder to read the choices.

"The combos sound good. Anything on the list that no one will touch? Not counting the anchovy ones." Sulu asked with a grin, pointing to the list of combination pizzas.

"Green pepper is not my faworite but I can ignore it on pizza," Chekov said with a shrug.

"So, one large Asilomar and a Big Sur. What else?" Jim asked.

"How 'bout this one, Daddy?" Joanna asked, pointing to the Cowell's Combo.

"That's what Jim and I always got after the first time. So do that one Jim," McCoy said, as Jim collected the menus.

"Alright, and two orders of bread sticks," Jim said with a grin. "I'll be right back," he added as he headed to the counter to place the order as the others settled around the largest open table.

After getting drinks and settled again, the pizzas arrived. Once they'd all been served, Jim turned to Scotty on the other side of Christine. "So where'd you disappear to? I called everywhere I could think of before we left."

Scotty hastily swallowed a mouthful of pizza, "Well Ah was trackin' down Keenser ta git an update on th' work. Ah finally found him in the sim lab goin' over th' escape routes for decks five and six. Ye know Cap'n tha' ye got ta turn your communicators off in there. Ah ran inta Sulu on my way out," Scotty explained, between bites.

"I got a call from my friend, Lt. Xander Barns, to come take a look at a combat training sim he and Lt. Cmdr Shev are working on," Sulu explained. "I was the only one Xander could think of that had actually fought a Romulan with a blade, and was still here. It's looking like a pretty good idea so far. They wanted some input on fighting and weapon styles, but I couldn't really give them much. My fight was too fast to give much accurate information," Sulu shrugged. "I suggested they talk to you Commander, for at least the physical capabilities, I didn't think you'd know much about their weapons styles or preferences."

"Thank you for your confidence, Lieutenant, I shall offer what help I can, though my experience fighting Romulans is not much different than you own, and limited to phasers. I'm not certain of the need for such a program at this time though," Spock responded, looking at Sulu for clarification.

"It's not only for training against Romulans, they're also working on Klingons, Orions, and anyone else we might end up having to go hand to hand with; renegades, raiders that sort of thing," Sulu explained, taking another bite of his pizza.

"Then might I suggest putting them in touch with Ambassador Selek? He, as I understand from my father, was on Romulus for several years, and though he is beyond the age to participate in such activities, he might have more pertinent information than I possess," Spock replied. "I will provide whatever help I can as well."

"At this point any help with appearance would be appreciated," Sulu said, rolling his eyes slightly. "All they really have on Romulans is that they're similar looking to Vulcans, and the images from our encounters with Nero and the contacts that other ships have had in the last two years. All I can say is its pretty bad."

"Please explain, Lieutenant," Spock said looking both puzzled and curious.

"They've basically mashed together all the images to make a composite, like most simulations. But, well the composite ended up looking like a Vulcan dressed up as a twentieth century punk for an old school Halloween," Sulu tried to explain, but seeing the slightly blank look on Spock's face he realized that the Commander would have to see for himself. "I can't explain it any better, Commander. Like I said it's pretty bad, I hope that none of the delegation we saw on the recording ever sees it, at least in this state. They might take offence and we'd be back at square one with them again."

"I will be sure to look in on them tomorrow in that case, as well as pass on word of the need for more accurate information to my father and Ambassador Selek," Spock assured him and Sulu sighed in relief that the problem would be fixed quickly.

"Thank you, I'll let them know you'll be coming to go by tomorrow," Sulu said as he picked up his drink.

McCoy leaned back in his chair and sighed as he picked up his glass. The image Sulu described sounded pretty ludicrous. He'd almost like to see it but then again he'd seen enough Romulans trying to kill him for a lifetime.

As he looked around the table, shaking his head the sight of Spock eating pizza with a knife and fork, McCoy felt Joanna lean her head against his shoulder. "What's wrong, Jo?" he asked looking at her in concern.

"Just tired, Daddy, and I wish Miss 'Nona could've come with us," Joanna said smiling up at him.

"We'll see her soon, Jo. You heard what she said 'bout bein' there for the trials. And if Jim doesn't comm. her tonight I'm gonna. Either way you'll get to talk to her," McCoy said quietly making her grin and kiss his cheek.

"I'm pretty sure Mom would kill me if I didn't let you talk to her, JoJo," Jim added from McCoy's other side.

"The chances of your Mother causing you mortal physical harm are extremely low Captain, less than .01%. I do not see why you would claim such an outcome would be likely to occur," Spock said looking perplexed at Jim's statement.

"It's a saying, Spock. Another way of saying she'll be extremely unhappy with me if I don't let her talk to Joanna," Jim explained. "And you've never seen her mad, Spock. She'll do or say what she has to, to get her point across," he added with a grin.

"He's right, Spock, you didn't see her go after the principle of Jo's school when he was givin' me hell about Jo bein' in my custody and not in school," McCoy said with a smirk at the memory. "All she did was tell me to let her handle it, introduced herself and proceeded to light into the idiot about the fact that circumstances change, and laid out what happened and what she expected him to do 'bout forwardin' Jo's school work," he explained as Spock nodded in understanding.

"I believe I understand, Doctor, it would seem that the desire to protect the young is a universal trait." Spock answered quietly as he turned back to his plate, and let the conversations drift to other things.

They left about an hour later, having divvied up the last few slices that even Scotty and Chekov hadn't been able to finish, they started the walk back to Starfleet. About halfway back her dad ended up giving Joanna a piggy back ride because she was too tired to walk any farther; and by the time they reached the Single Guest Barracks she was almost asleep.

Joanna woke up as they entered the building and Jim helped her down as they got into the lift. After telling the others goodnight in the hall, she quickly changed for bed and then waited as her Dad entered Winona's number in to their comm. unit.

They were filling Winona in on the court dates and the other events of the day when Jim rang the bell. He added his own side of things. Joanna was starting to yawn when they signed off and she headed for her bed in the corner and was sound asleep in minutes.

McCoy had managed to get the second bed for her after an argument with the housing officer that afternoon, who wanted to put them in larger quarters on the other side of the visitor's barracks complex. Once he found out that Joanna's nightmares and recent trauma were the reason McCoy was so adamant to stay so she had people she knew nearby, the officer had quickly sent a folding bed over.

McCoy quickly got ready for bed himself, knowing that he'd need all the sleep he could get before Joanna's nightmares woke him up.

A few hours later Joanna woke up with a strangled cry, looking around wildly, trying to remember where she was. For a moment the room was totally unfamiliar and that scared her. "D-Daddy?" she half whispered through a sob at a noise across the room.

McCoy had woken at her cry and was out of bed before she called. "It's ok, Jo," he assured her sitting beside her and holding her close. Joanna burrowed into his shoulder, as he gently ran one hand over her hair, murmuring quiet nonsense to her.

"Daddy, can you stay with me?" she asked a few minutes later.

"Sure can, Darlin' Girl," her father replied, getting her settled again and stretching out on his back next to her.

"I love ya, Daddy," Joana whispered as she wrapped her arms around his right bicep and snuggled her cheek into his shoulder.

"Love you too Jo." McCoy replied resting his left hand on top of one of hers, and watched as her breathing evened out, before allowing himself to go back to sleep.

The next morning McCoy and Joanna joined the others in the mess for breakfast. After answering the usual morning questions about their night everyone's attention returned to their meals and waking up.

"Daddy, what's goin' on today?" Joanna asked as conversation started to pick up as everyone finished eating.

"Well, we're goin' over to Jim's and you're gettin' back on that home work," McCoy told her, making her pout. "The rest of us are gonna to be goin' over all the paperwork for our trip to New Vulcan, Jo. We're gonna try and get as much as we can done by this evenin', and pick it up again tomorrow. And hopefully by Monday we'll be done except for inventories and last minute corrections."

"Aw man," Joanna muttered, thinking about the roughly week of homework she still had to do.

"I know you'd rather be out doin' somethin' Jo, but we have to make sure we've got everythin'. Remember when we went on vacation to Jekyll Island? All the packin' lists we made?" McCoy asked, knowing that Joanna would remember.

"Yeah, you and Mama spent ages makin' 'em. Even though we were only goin' for a week you musta had eight or nine lists," Joanna replied remembering the trip vividly even though she'd only been five. It had turned out to be the last family trip they had taken.

"Well it's the same sort of thing Jo, we made our lists of what we needed and now we need to make sure that the ship got sent the right things; foods, medicines, all the things we need out in space. Like checkin' your suitcase before we left to make sure nothin' got left behind," her father explained, watching as she grinned back at him.

"I wish I could help, Daddy," Joanna said, getting a chuckle from Jim.

"I wish you could too, JoJo." Jim said leaning around McCoy to look at her. "Some of those lists get pretty long and complicated," he added and several of the others chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"Well shall we get ta work then?" Scotty asked standing up to dump his tray. "The sooner we're done wi' this lot, the sooner we can get back ta the ship an' get ta the real work."

"Ok, Department heads, my 'office' in fifteen; we'll start knocking this out," Jim announced as they left. "JoJo, let us know if you need help with your homework, ok?"

"Ok, Uncle Jim. I already know I'm gonna need help when I get to my math. It's algebra of some kind," Joanna replied, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

"I kin help you vith it, if you vant, Joanna," Chekov said turning around to look at her.

"Don't you need to go over the lists?" Joanna asked.

"Yes and no. As zhe nawagator, I really do not have a supply list. I vill have a check list vonce ve are on board. And it is no trouble to help you, I used to help my cousins vith zheirs." Chekov replied, walking backwards.

"Ok, that would be great, Pavel. I just don't get the stuff," Joanna replied. "I was gonna start on it after lunch. That way I'm awake for it and I'll hopefully have most of the other stuff done. Will that be ok?"

"I vill see you zhen," he replied. "I vas planning on seeing if I could help vith zhe programming problem Hikaru's friend is having zhis morning."

"Thanks, Pavel, I'm going to go and see what I can do too, as soon as I get my sword," Sulu said with what sounded suspiciously like a sigh of relief. "You'll most likely remember a few more details about appearance then I do."

Jim glanced behind him at Spock, as Chekov's remark reminded him of the previous night's conversation. "Did you get a hold of your Father, Spock?" he asked.

"I contacted him when we returned last night and he said that he would inform Ambassador Selek as soon as we were finished speaking. I do not know his schedule so I cannot predict when he might be free to assist," Spock replied.

"I didn't think you'd forgotten. I was just curious. Too much help is sometimes as bad as too little, on this type of project," Jim said as they reached their building.

As soon as Joanna was settled with her homework at the table in Jim's quarters, McCoy joined the others in the office. Uhura, Christine, Giotto, Spock and the other Department Heads had borrowed the rest of the chairs from Jim's quarters or brought their own, while Scotty and Keenser had settled on the floor, in one corner surrounded by what looked like a small mountain of PADDs. Christine had thoughtfully saved him a chair and he sent her a grateful look as he sat next to her. He sorted out the PADD he wanted from the stack and nodded to Giotto on the other side of the room.

"Mornin' Chief," McCoy said to Giotto as Jim walked in with his own stack of PADDs and settled behind his desk adding his own stack to the one already there.

"Same to you, Doc. So far so good," Giotto replied with a wave of his hand at the stacks of PADDs everyone had with them.

"Let's hope it stays that way," McCoy said with a grimace remembering some of the debacles they'd had in the past as Giotto nodded.

"Ok I've got the synthesizer set for coffee, tea or juice as well as snacks if we need 'em. Let me know if you find any major problems. And yes, Bones, I know about Quarter master Chen's accident so I have her PADDs here. Lt Gren isn't due back till this afternoon because of a family emergency," Jim said glancing at each of them before picking up the first of his PADDs.

The next few hours were fairly quiet, the only sounds being styluses tapping and the occasional murmured question. Joanna came in several times for help with her homework and did her best not to disturb them anymore than she had to. There was only one major issue and that was when it was discovered that a piece of medical equipment that McCoy had been waiting for and an equally important scientific instrument had gotten put on the opposite lists as well as in the opposite labs due to the similarity of the names. McCoy, Spock and Scotty spent ten minutes in discussion as to how to get them back in the correct labs without damaging them.

Lunch was picnic style, out on the grass in a shady out of the way corner of the yard surrounding the barracks, since everyone agreed they needed a break from Jim's office. Sulu and Chekov joined them a few minutes later, both looking annoyed.

"You two ok?" McCoy asked as they sat down, noticing that Chekov was muttering what could only be Russian curses under his breath as he poked at the information on his PADD.

"Yeah, I think so. We've been trying to work out a bug in the character design programming, but so far we're hitting a dead end," Sulu explained as they sat down.

"Commander, could I trouble you to take a look at zhis, vhen you have time?" Chekov asked holding out the PADD. "I know I am missing somezhing but I cannot find it."

"Of course, Ensign, I will review it on my way to the sim lab after lunch," Spock replied, placing the PADD beside him.

The afternoon was very similar to the morning the only difference being that they were joined by Lt Gren the Assistant Quartermaster, and Spock had gone to help with the combat sim. Joanna and Chekov seemed to make short work of her math; the young Ensign explaining the process and clearing up her difficulties easily.

Just before Jim was going to call it a day and release everyone for dinner, Lt Martin rang the office bell.

"Come in," Jim called when the chime sounded. "Hey, Martin is something wrong?" he asked seeing the expression on Martin's face.

"I guess that depends, Sir," Martin replied. "The crew's found out that we're not leaving when we were scheduled to and they're starting to ask questions. And I'm not sure how much to tell them."

"Chief, can you set up a crew briefing for tomorrow morning 1000?" Jim asked, thinking rapidly.

"I think so, Captain. Any special location?" Giotto replied.

"No just somewhere that we'll all fit. God, I wish we were on the ship. This would be so much easier," Jim said.

"It would be, but we'll find a place," Giotto assured Jim, as he stood.

"Uh, Captain, why don't you just send out a statement, like they do for Academy wide announcements? It would be easier than trying to fit roughly five hundred ninety-eight people into one place quietly," Uhura reminded him smiling at the sheepish look Jim shot her.

"Yeah, that would be easier. Sorry, Chief, Martin," Jim replied

"Are you going to tell them everythin' that's delayin' us?" McCoy asked.

"I don't know, Bones, it's not really any of their business what's going on with you. But then again if the media try and make something of it I feel like they should be warned so that they'll be prepared if the worst happens," Jim said thoughtfully, his mind obviously running over various ways of not hurting Bones or Joanna, but letting the crew know what was going on was important.

"I'll be happy to write up something for you, if you want," Uhura offered.

"Thanks Uhura, get it to me before you post it please. Ok everyone get outta here and get some dinner. I'll see you tomorrow," Jim said standing and making shooing motions towards the door, making the others chuckle as they left.

The next day followed a similar pattern as they finished the preliminary inventories and as Monday rolled around the department heads and their assistants were getting ready to board the _Enterprise_ to finish their inventories and go over the changes from the upgrades.

As they were assembling in the hanger bay, Jim received a message from Spock saying that he'd join them later as he'd been called for an interview with Admiral Liu. Uhura looked slightly worried when Jim quietly told her, but she gave him a small smile and took her seat. Joanna was almost bouncing in her seat with excitement as they took off, much to her father's dismay and everyone else's amusement.

Joanna was going to drive him insane; McCoy decided five minutes after they'd reached the ship. His daughter had yet to stop bouncing with excitement at actually being in space and on the _Enterprise_. He hoped that giving her something to do in the Medbay would help her calm down.

"Oh for Pete's sake, she'll calm down, Leo. You said yourself that she's never been off planet before," Christine murmured to him, smiling as they 'herded' Joanna towards the Medbay.

"I hope so, Chris. I have no idea why she's so damn excited 'bout bein' in space," he grumbled back shooting her a bewildered look.

"Well we know she didn't get that from you, so we can count ourselves lucky. I don't know what we'd do with two of you on board, grumblin' about the dangers of space and 'these infernal tin cans'," Christine replied grinning up at him. He grumbled about smart ass nurses under his breath making her chuckle.

As McCoy was showing Joanna around the Medbay, the rest of the nurses and M'Benga arrived. After quick introductions, Christine passed out the PADDs and everyone got to work. Christine got Joanna settled at her desk with a PADD of her own as well as her school reading assignments.

Joanna turned out to be a big help with the inventory, helping keep PADDs organized and helping Christine with the list of missing and mis-marked medicines on another.

Lunch was in the mess, with the rest of the crew. Joanna drew a few stares at first, since everyone was curious about her. Most hadn't known that McCoy was divorced let alone a father before receiving the message about the delay the day before. Spock and Rhymer joined them for lunch, while Uhura hurriedly grabbed a sandwich and ran to catch the return shuttle for her own meeting with Admiral Liu.

After lunch, Jim took Joanna on a tour of the ship while Rhymer and McCoy were meeting about the trials. Jim used the tour to check in with the various other departments as well as introducing Joanna to them. They ended the tour on the bridge. There wasn't much to see except the outside of Starbase One, but it was still better than an image of space.

"JoJo, please don't touch anything without asking first," Jim told her before letting her wander around the bridge while he sat down and started working on his paperwork. Joanna quietly wandered around, spending a few minutes with her friends, finding out more about the different stations, and meeting the rest of the bridge crew.

About an hour later Jim and Joanna headed back down to Medbay.

"How's the rest of the ship?" McCoy asked her when they got back.

"Interestin', Daddy. I think I'll be gettin' lost for a while. I liked the arboretum, observation deck, and the bridge the best," Joanna replied hugging her father. "When do I get to see where we'll live?"

"Just let me finish this list and we'll go, Darlin'. I'm almost done," McCoy told her as he turned back to the shelf of medicine.

"Why don't you show me what you've been doing down here while we wait, JoJo?" Jim asked and spent the next few minutes going over the PADDs she'd been helping Christine with, even though he had copies of them waiting for him to sign off on in his office.

Ten minutes later McCoy entered his door code. "Jo, we're gonna have to do a bit of work on the place to get you your own room, so for now I'll take the couch," he told her as the door opened.

"Why, Daddy?" Joanna asked, puzzled as she looked around.

"Well it was designed for one person or maybe a couple, so it's only got the one bedroom."

"Oh," she said looking around the front room at the odds and ends scattered about. On the small desk in the corner were several framed images of her, Jim, and the rest of the crew like he had on his desk in the Medbay. But other than that there wasn't much else in the way of decoration, just some of the older drawings she'd sent, taped to the wall by the desk and a couple of nondescript pictures hanging near the couch.

"Daddy, can we do somethin' 'bout the pictures in here?" Joanna asked cautiously wrinkling her nose at the blue, brown, and grey pictures that looked like they were finger painted.

"I think so, Jo. I'm not in here that much to just sit, so I never did anythin' with 'em. But you can help redecorate if you want. Just not all pink and purple- save that for your room, alright?" McCoy told her.

"Daddy, my room is not gonna be pink and purple; I wanna do it in greens and blues. This'll be fun," Jo replied hugging him.

"Bedroom's straight back, bathroom's to the left," he continued leading her though the rest of his quarters. "We'll have to ask Scotty how we're gonna fit your room in but it'll fit somehow, if I know that crazy engineer," McCoy continued making Joanna giggle, as they headed back to the Medbay.

They returned that night tired but with about a third of the inventories done. Uhura met them at the hanger to get the final report of the day from Lieutenants Hawkins and Hannity and had seemed worried as they'd walked back. Jim found his message from Admiral Liu waiting for him when he entered his quarters, and hurried to clean up and change into a clean uniform for his meeting.

Christine joined McCoy and Joanna in the hall the next morning after breakfast as they waited for the others to finish getting ready to head back up to the ship. McCoy couldn't help noticing the slight scowl on her face.

"So what's got a bee in your bonnet this mornin' Chris?" he asked, hoping it was something as simple as a bad night; he certainly didn't need any more drama in his life right now.

Christine looked up at him for a moment. "I've been tryin' to have a good chat with Nyota since y'all got here and she's been avoidin' me. I was gonna ask her if everythin' was alright after hearin' 'bout Admiral Liu callin' her in yesterday but she slipped out after dinner and wouldn't answer the door. Then she all but ran off when I started to talk to her this mornin'. You haven't heard anything have you?" she asked, her confusion and hurt obvious to him.

"No I haven't, Chris. I bet she'll -" he stopped seeing Jim coming. "Why not ask-" once again he was cut off as Uhura hurried out of her quarters.

"Jim!" she called making him turn to look at her. That was all the warning he got as Uhura rushed over and jumped up to hug him around the neck. "Thank you, thank you," she whispered grinning as Jim let her momentum spin them around once, an answering grin on his face.

"See, I told you not to worry," Jim said almost laughing as he released her, stepping back to take her hands. "I knew it would look great on you. Have you told him yet?"

"I was on my way to but I had to stop and thank you," Uhura replied grinning happily.

"Well, get going. Tell him I said no thanks are needed but that he's welcome," Jim chuckled as Uhura quickly kissed his cheek before she turned and hurried towards Spock's quarters.

McCoy and Christine were staring at Jim like he'd grown another head when he turned back to them and Joanna was grinning.

"Ok Jim, what the hell was that about?" McCoy demanded as soon as Jim reached them. There was no way in hell Jim could get out of answering that one, not after what had just happened.

"Just something I was helping Spock and Uhura with that worked out," Jim replied evasively causing McCoy's scowl to darken.

"Oh? And what was it?" Christine asked before McCoy could say anything.

"You'll find out most likely tonight Bones, Christine," Jim said, still grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I'd tell you, but I promised I wouldn't," he added hoping it would explain why he couldn't explain any better, as Joanna giggled and motioned for Jim to bend down.

"Is it about the ring Shangazi Nyota was wearin' 'round her neck?" she whispered softly in his ear, giggling again when Jim nodded as Scotty, Chekov, and Sulu joined them.

"What do you know about it?" Jim whispered back.

"That it was a special present from Mr. Spock, and I'll find out more later," Joanna whispered back, rolling her eyes at that typical adult statement.

"So what's going on?" Sulu asked taking in the slightly disgruntled looks on McCoy and Christine's faces and the grins on Joanna and Jim's.

"Nothing really, just something I can't talk about yet," Jim replied, as Spock's door opened and he and Uhura walked out.

The surprise at her being in Spock's quarters was slightly overshadowed, first, by the fact that oblivious to their audience, Uhura leaned up and kissed him as they stepped out, and by the fact that Spock was smiling, just a slight quirk of his lips but still a smile.

Joanna's giggle made Uhura whip around in surprise that they had an audience. She bit her lip in embarrassment and shot a glance at Spock whose ears and cheeks were noticeably greener than normal.

"Guys, I think the 'cat's out of the bag' as the old saying goes," Jim said still grinning.

"That would, I believe, be an understatement, Captain," Spock replied evenly as his flush slowly faded.

"Uh, would someone care to explain?" Sulu asked.

"Lt. Uhura has agreed to become my wife. We just received confirmation from the Admiralty this morning that the paperwork for our marriage was approved," Spock told them, calm as ever, though the slight smile never left his face.

"Mazel tov!" Chekov was the first to say breaking the others out of the slight stupor that the news and Spock's uncharacteristic behavior had caused.

"Aye, Commander, Lieutenant. All the best t' ye," Scotty added, grinning as Christine hurried to hug her friend.

"Thank you, Ensign, Mr. Scott," Spock replied with a nod

" Yes, thanks, everyone," Uhura replied as the rest followed Christine, and surrounded them.

As the tumult of good wishes started to die down, the lift opened and a tired M'Benga stepped out.

"So what's going on?" he asked looking at the group.

"Spock and Uhura are engaged, Geoff," Christine told him still grinning.

"Well, congratulations to you both. Captain, I'll be joining you at lunch today, as soon as I get a nap. Night all," M'Benga said yawning. "I hate night shift," they heard him mutter as he headed down the hall to his quarters.

"Shall we continue this over lunch in the ship's mess?" Jim asked chuckling over M'Benga's exit, as they stepped into the lift.

The rest of the morning followed Monday's pattern of work. Lunch was made festive by the addition of a cake that M'Benga brought up with him, and the surprised well wishes of the rest of the crew present.

After lunch, Jim took his turn with Rhymer to go over his testimony and the list of things to do and not to do on the stand. Then Rhymer took a few minutes to talk with Joanna before they caught the shuttles back to San Francisco. Once on the ground Spock and Uhura hurried to get ready for dinner at the Vulcan Embassy with Sarek; while the others headed for the mess.

That evening after dinner McCoy brought up the subject of a room for Joanna with Scotty. The engineer willingly pulled up the floor plan of the deck around McCoy's quarters on his PADD and the three of them started working out the changes necessary to add another bedroom.

By Wednesday night things seemed fairly well worked out both on the ship and with the preparations for the trial. So naturally they were all slightly on edge waiting for something to go wrong. The first indication of that was the fact that Joanna had a full blown night terror that night and managed to wake Spock, Jim, Scotty, and Giotto, their nearest neighbors, with her screaming.

Thursday and Friday were spent making sure that all the last minute supply corrections were taken care of and that all systems were operational and ready to depart. Joanna's continuing night terrors were a puzzle for everyone; she'd woken or disturbed their four nearest neighbors both nights screaming even with the sound proofing activated in all the rooms, the fact that she refused to say what they were about was starting to alarm the others, especially McCoy.

Friday, after a full day of sorting out the final shipment of medicines and prepping the Medbay, and a final round of meetings with Rhymer, all McCoy wanted was some time with Joanna and to try and get as good of a night's sleep as possible before the shuttle ride to Atlanta.

Joanna was quieter than usual, just wanting to snuggle with him on the couch and watch an old favorite movie of hers, _Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade_. McCoy just rolled his eyes, it was definitely not his favorite movie, but it made Joanna happy.

"You know, Indy reminds me of Uncle Jim a bit," she told him with a yawn as he tucked her in bed.

"Oh, how so?" McCoy asked puzzled, not sure what Jim and a movie character from the twentieth century had in common.

"He does what he has too to take care of things and the people who matter to him and is always getting' into trouble in the process. But Uncle Jim cares more than he wants people to know most of the time," Joanna explained, fighting to keep her eyes open, as her Dad nodded at her surprisingly accurate description of Jim.

"I know, Jo. Night Darlin', sweet dreams," he told her gently kissing her cheek as she snuggled under the blankets with her bear. She woke them with another night terror a few hours later and spent the rest of the night glued to him.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thank you to Bookdragon01 as always for betaing this chapter. Nope don't own it.

This will be the last chapter **BEFORE** New Years. There's just too much going on right now to be able to juggle the holidays and keep updating in a halfway timely manner. I will be working on the ending and doing a bit of polish on the rest. I'll post the next chapter in January, once things calm back down and the kids are back in school. So please don't think I've abandoned the story. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

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><p>The next morning Joanna was missing. McCoy had come out of the bathroom and found her gone. After a quick search of their quarters, he frantically commed Jim and then Uhura; but neither of them had seen her since the night before. Jim quickly contacted Giotto, who helped him collect the rest of the officers for a search party. Before they started, Spock ran a check of the lift, fire, and stairway door records which showed that no one had used them that morning. It was a small relief to McCoy and the others that she had to still be on their floor.<p>

Giotto and Jim split everyone up into teams to do a room by room search. Jim took her and Bones' room himself and sent Bones with Christine to look in the rooms at the other end of the hall, while Giotto kept watch on the stairs and the lift.

After doing a quick search of the tiny kitchenette, behind the front room couch, and a quick check of the bathroom, Jim quietly moved into the bedroom. He knew Bones had checked the closet but looked in there again just in case Joanna had switched spots, All that was in there were their clothes. Jim knew that there was no chance that she was under her Dad's bed; the frame was to the floor just like his, with only small cubbyholes for shoes, so that only left the portable one that she'd been using.

Jim moved as quietly as possible, bent over and lifted the blankets hanging off the edge of the bed and found himself looking into a pair of frightened hazel eyes.

"JoJo, you need to come out Kiddo," he said softly lying on the floor so he could see her better.

"No, I don't want to go back, Uncle Jim. I wanna stay with Daddy and you on the _Enterprise,_" she whispered. "You said I was gonna get to because of what happened."

"JoJo, the only reason we have to go back is so you can stay with us," Jim explained patiently; it hurt to see the fear in her eyes again.

"I heard Mr. Rhymer tell you and Daddy last night that I might have to go and stay with Mama anyway," Joanna replied stubbornly.

"Joanna, sweetheart, he meant was that you might have to stay with your Mom a certain amount of time a year, as in a visit. The rest of the time you'll be with your Dad and the rest of us," Jim told her gently

"Right, then why didn't he say anythin' around me? Why'd he wait till it was just you and Daddy?" she challenged.

"Because, your dad didn't want to upset you by asking about the possibility of your mom having visitation rights when he didn't know how likely it would be. He was trying to figure out how to bring it up with you and asked Rhymer what the likely-hood would be so he'd know what to tell you," Jim explained softly and smiled as he saw her expression clear slightly.

"Promise?" she asked hopefully.

"I promise JoJo, we're not giving you up. Give me your hand, I'll pull you out and then we'll go explain what happened to your Dad and the others. Right now they're doing a room by room search for you." Jim said smiling as she took his hand.

"Is Daddy mad at me?" she asked hesitantly as she stood up

"You really scared him, disappearing like this, but no, he won't be mad once he knows why," Jim told her sitting on the bed, and taking her hands.

"I'm sorry I scared him, but I was scared he was g-gonna have to send me back," Joanna explained tearing up.

Jim couldn't think of anything to say right then and pulled her into his lap and held her. A moment later she was clinging to him, with her face buried in his shoulder. Jim let her cry it out, murmuring nonsense to her until she was calm again. "Are you gonna be ok, JoJo?" he asked softly once she was down to hiccoughs.

"Yeah, U-Uncle Jim," she said leaning back and wiping her eyes with her hands.

"Next time, Sweetheart, ask one of us if you don't understand something, or something is worrying you, please? Even if you overheard it while eaves-dropping," Jim told her with a smirk that made her smile. It was just a small upturn of her lips, but it made the knot in Jim's stomach loosen for the first time since Bones' call.

"Shall we let everyone know that you're ok, Kiddo?" Jim asked as he set her on her feet and stood up, with her hand in his.

"Can I ask you somethin' first, Uncle Jim?"

"Sure, JoJo, what?"

"Why'd you call me sweetheart just now? You never used to call me that," Joanna asked looking up at Jim curiously.

Jim was surprised, he hadn't even thought about calling her that, it just came out. "Because, JoJo, as far as I'm concerned, your Dad's my brother in everything but blood; which makes you my niece," he explained with a shrug. "And I guess 'cause it's something Mom used to call me when I was upset as a kid," he finished as they stepped into the hall.

"Thanks, Uncle Jim," she said hugging him.

"You're welcome, JoJo," Jim replied as he hugged her. "Come on, let's get this taken care of," he said keeping one arm around her shoulders as he yelled down the hall. "I found her guys!"

The response was immediate, as everyone rushed into the hall. McCoy was the first to reach them.

"Jo, what were you thinkin' worryin' us like that?" he asked as he picked her up and hugged her, blinking hard at the tears that wanted to form at finding her safe.

"I heard you and Mr. Rhymer talkin' last night. Just where he said that I might have to stay with Mama and I thought that he meant I had to go back to stay," Joanna replied softly looking at him.

"No, Jo, not gonna happen," Bones replied as his arms tightened slightly, relieved that he could promise her that. "I'm not losin' you again, Darlin'."

"I know, Uncle Jim said that Mr. Rhymer meant just goin' to visit her for a while every year," Joanna replied smiling at him.

"That's right, Jo, though we'll just have to see what happens, alright?" McCoy reminded her as he set her down, keeping his arm around her shoulders

"Alright Daddy," Joanna said as she stepped half out of her father's embrace. "I'm sorry for worryin' y'all"

"No apology necessary, kidogo moja*; we all do crazy things when we're scared," Uhura assured her. "I hid in the top of a tree in my back yard once to try and get out of going to the dentist to get a tooth removed. My Baba found me after half an hour of searching. He and Mama weren't too pleased that I'd hidden, until they found out that I'd been told a bunch of scary stories by several of the older kids in the neighborhood about what to expect," she explained, making Joanna and the others smile a bit at the idea of her hiding from anything.

"I hid behind the garage once because I was scared to show my folks my report card," Sulu added as they gathered up their bags and headed for the lift.

"I zhought vhen Starfleet vanted me to come so early zhat I'd newer be able to wisit my family again," Chekov said, shaking his head at the memory. "I ended up in zhe attic. Mama found me and straightened me out. I vas only zhirteen," he added with a shrug as they headed out of the building towards the shuttle hanger. On the way Scotty, Martin, and even Spock shared something that they'd misunderstood as children, making Joanna relax a little and laugh.

Admiral Pike, Rhymer and Lt Cmdr Giotto were waiting for them at the shuttle.

"Sorry we're late; we had a slight problem with miscommunication this morning." Jim explained softly with a glance at Joanna as they loaded their luggage.

"Nothing serious I hope?" Pike inquired as everyone started boarding.

"No just the different meanings of the phrase 'stay with' in the context of custody cases." Jim replied, keeping his voice low, not wanting to embarrass Joanna anymore. "She overheard what you said last night about staying with her mother and thought that meant she wasn't going to stay with Bones. When he couldn't find her this morning he panicked and got the rest of us searching our floor. I found her hiding under her bed, because she didn't want to go back to Jocelyn," he explained with a glance at Rhymer, who looked a bit shocked at the news.

Pike nodded, now he was glad that he'd requested a recruit shuttle for this trip so that everyone could sit together instead of separated by rows.

Giotto waved McCoy and Jim over as they were about to board. "Captain, Doctor, we've gotten a lead on those missing drugs," Giotto quietly informed them.

"Good work Chief. Keep us informed of what goes down," Jim said with a slightly grim smile.

"Will do, Sir, be careful yourself. I'll be talking to Martin daily, so don't think I won't hear about any of your stunts," Giotto reminded Jim with a smirk. While he might admire Kirk's quick thinking and cool head in battle situations, he knew how much trouble the Captain could get into without trying. And it never hurt to remind him that he'd be watching even if by proxy.

"Don't worry, Chief, I'm definitely not going to be doing anything other than going to court and maybe as extra hands for shopping." Jim assured Giotto seriously. "We both know that this is too important to screw up."

"You worry too much, Sam, besides I'll be there to help as well as Winona. Between the two of us we should be able to keep this group on their best behavior for a week," Pike interjected with a grin at Giotto.

"I hope so, Chris," Giotto said, giving his friend a look as if questioning whether Pike even knew the definition of best behavior. "By the way, Captain, tell you mom I said hello will you?" Giotto asked.

"Sure, Chief. I didn't know you knew her," Jim replied intrigued.

"I met her a couple of times when she was on assignment when you were a kid. She always talked about you and your brother," Giotto explained looking slightly uncomfortable which made Jim grin.

"Sometimes I think everyone knows your mom, Jim," McCoy remarked teasingly.

"I'll see you when you get back, Joanna. Think you can help Pike and Miss Winona keep these two in line?" Giotto asked Joanna with a smile.

"Yes Sir," Joanna replied with a smile.

"I'll expect a full report, Miss Joanna," Giotto replied, and gently tugged one of her braids.

As they reached the ramp she surprised all of them by letting go of her father's hand to dart back and hug Giotto tightly and hurry back to her dad's side before Giotto could react. Jim laughed and shook his head at the fact that his tough as nails, by the book, Security Chief was so gentle with Joanna. He'd overheard Giotto tell her on Wednesday that if she ever couldn't find her Dad or 'Uncle' to come to the Security Office, especially if there was trouble on the ship.

The trip took just over an hour to get to the Atlanta Shuttle Port. As the flight had progressed Joanna had become silent, and hadn't let go of her dad's hand. At the sight of her fear McCoy had forced his own residual discomfort with flying down, trying to comfort her, along with the others; though there wasn't much they could do but hold her hands and try to distract her until they landed. As they disembarked she was clinging to his hand, refusing to let go. Once they were off the ramp he swung Joanna up into his arms, letting her burrow into his shoulder.

"Jo, loosen up just a bit, Darlin', I need to breath," McCoy whispered as her grip threatened to strangle him.

"Sorry, Daddy," Joanna mumbled, shifting her death grip around his neck slightly.

"You're safe, Darlin'. Nothin's gonna happen to ya," he whispered back, shifting her weight to a better position on his hip.

Once Pike's chair was unloaded they grabbed their luggage, splitting McCoy and Joanna's between Jim Uhura, and Christine as they headed for the terminal to wait for Winona's shuttle.

A bad thunderstorm had popped up over Riverside that morning, preventing them from landing, so Winona had waited and caught the next shuttle out of the Riverside terminal. No one was really comfortable with the arrangement, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. Thankfully it had put her less than half an hour behind them.

They managed to find a semi-secluded seating area away from the main flow of foot traffic, and settled in to wait. Chekov had brought the chess set and managed to distract Joanna with a game; her and Jim against himself.

"Doctor, may I offer a suggestion?" Spock asked softly, trying not to distract Joanna from the game.

"What's that Spock?" McCoy replied looking at Spock as he sat down next to him.

"When we are settled tonight or sometime tomorrow, would you permit me to try a light mind-meld with Joanna? Please, Doctor, hear me out," he continued when McCoy's expression darkened. "It would be no more dangerous than the hypnosis some psychiatrists employ, though more effective and would assist her in coping with her fears both of facing her mother and the –man who injured her, as well as of being separated from you. Both of which could possibly be detrimental to your case if she cannot overcome them to make clear the events that occurred to bring you to this juncture."

"And just how would letting you poke around in her head help?" McCoy asked glancing up at Spock's uncharacteristic pause; he wasn't surprised to see the anger in Spock's eyes at the thought of the bastard. He also realized Spock did have a point, but he wasn't going to do anything until he understood it better.

"I would not 'poke around' as you put it, Doctor. It would more closely resemble the form of hypnosis used in the late twentieth century to assist in recovering lost memories or to break destructive habits. Though more focused, as I would literally be following her emotions back to their initial cause," Spock explained. "I would be neither tampering with her memories nor any other part of her mind. I would be focusing on only the worst of the fear associated with the events leading up to our arrival three weeks ago. I also believe it may help resolve her night terrors, or at the least pin-point their cause and enable you to assist her in dealing with the issue."

"I'll think about it, Spock, and talk it over with Jo too, once we're settled. I'm not sayin' you'd hurt her but I'm not gonna agree without her input and a lot more information," McCoy said turning the idea over in his mind.

"It is logical to want her to have a say in the decision. I will answer any questions either of you have regarding the mind-meld and what to expect," Spock said as he stood and returned to his seat beside Uhura to finish watching the match.

It was a quick game; Chekov was one of the best players on the ship, so he was able to beat Joanna and Jim fairly easily, though Jim's participation gave him a run for his money. It was enough to make Joanna smile slightly.

Lt Richard 'Cupcake' Martin had quietly watched Joanna over the last week whenever she was around and had come to the easy conclusion that she was a 'sweet kid', as his friend Lt Mark Carrannelli described her one afternoon after she and Kirk had dropped by the security office to speak to Chief Giotto. She was extremely cautious around new people but he could understand that with what had happened to her. But to see her scared was bothering him; he'd grown used to her happily following the senior officers around the ship or Starfleet HQ talking a mile a minute and helping Kirk and occasionally Nurse Chapel tease her dad about practically anything.

He shifted in his seat on the edge of the group watching the passing crowd; it was a big assignment: keeping both the command team and Admiral Pike safe, especially with only Mark and Lt Bejal Lewis, to help, but he was proud of the trust Chief Giotto had in his ability to lead the detail.

As he 'people watched' his eyes were caught by something on the nearby news kiosk. All he saw was the word '_Enterprise_' flash across the headline ticker before the crowd blocked his view, but it caught his attention and he watched closely as he waited for it to cycle back. When it came back up he had to bite his tongue to keep from swearing; the headline read: '_Enterprise_ CMO in Abuse and Custody Battle.' 'Fuck! This is _not_ good,' Richard thought, signaling to Mark to take watch as he quickly pulled out his PADD and hurried to the kiosk and purchased the story. After a quick glance through it he moved to Admiral Pike's side.

"Sir, I think we have a problem," he murmured in Pike's ear, as he handed the Admiral the PADD.

"Oh?" Pike replied, as he glanced down. His expression immediately darkened at the headline. "John," he said quietly but his tone carried a note of urgency that had Rhymer's immediate attention.

"What is it Chris?" Rhymer asked, coming over from where he'd been going over his case files.

"Read that, John," Pike told him disgustedly, handing over Martin's PADD.

"Why those bastards," Rhymer muttered as he read the story. "Chris, I'll be back, but this might take awhile so don't wait for me." He hurriedly copied the story to his own PADD, handed Martin's back, and headed for the nearest vid-comm. to call San Francisco, muttering under his breath as he went.

"Ok folks; looks like the cat's out of the bag. So better get whatever you brought as cover on," Pike said raising his voice just enough that the group could hear him. Everyone sighed as they slipped on hats or for Uhura and Christine let their hair down. Joanna looked ready to start crying for a moment, until McCoy gently pulled her into his arms and let her borrow into his shoulder.

"Shh, Jo, I got ya. You're safe, Darlin'," he whispered to her, gently rubbing her back very much aware of the worried glances their friends were sending them.

"Don't worry, JoJo, Mom's gonna be here any minute so we should be out of here in no time," Jim tried to reassure her, as he moved to sit next to them. "You going to be ok while I go meet her at the gate, Sweetheart?" he asked as he carefully slipped his contacts in.

"Y-Yeah, Uncle Jim, but won't they recognize you?" Joanna asked, as she peeked out at him from her dad's shoulder.

"With these contacts in and a hat on I'll pass. Remember, if anything they're looking for your Dad and won't be too worried about me. And even if they think they recognize me, the fact that my eyes are the 'wrong' color will throw them off, and no one would look for me in Atlanta anyway," Jim reminded her. "Bones, you gonna be ok too?"

"Yeah Jim, just don't get side tracked on your way," Bones said, pulling his black hat out of his bag and gently pushing out a dent in the crown before slipping it on. "Go on Kid. Before someone thinks we look suspiciously like what we are," he grumbled, making Joanna smile slightly as she snuggled back into his shoulder and Jim full out grin.

"Lighten up, Bones," Jim said lightly swatting McCoy on the shoulder as he started towards Winona's arrival gate. Carrannelli caught up with him.

Jim quickly found his Mom in the small crowd of arriving passengers. "Mom," he called getting her attention.

"Jim. What-?" she started to ask when she saw Jim's eyes but a small shake of his head stopped her. Something was up, and she'd bet money it wasn't good judging by his expression. So she nodded in understanding and hugged him, whispering in his ear "I want answers soon, James," and had to fight a chuckle when she felt him swallow hard; she only ever called him James when she was deadly serious and/or he was in serious trouble.

"The cat's out of the bag, Mom," Jim whispered back, knowing she's understand and felt her nod against his shoulder.

As Jim took her bag and turned to head back, Carrannelli joined them. "Mom, I want you to meet Mark Carrannelli, one of our security guys," Jim murmured just loudly enough for them to hear.

"Good to meet you, Jim's told me a lot about you," Winona replied in the same tone.

Mark had to chuckle, "I bet; and in most of them he was calling me Cannoli too, right?"

"In some yes, most of those were when you were at the Academy though," she replied with a smile at the young men on either side of her.

"Nana!" Joanna called the minute she spotted Winona, Jim, and Mark approaching, and blushed at her slip of the tongue. Her yell drew a few indulgent stares as the passing crowd wrote the scene off as a simple family reunion. Winona just laughed at Joanna calling her Nana instead of Nona or Miss Nona as she hugged her tightly, resting her chin lightly on Joanna's head.

"I don't mind if you call me that, Honey," she whispered in Joanna's ear pulling back enough to see her face.

Joanna managed a smile for her and whispered "Thanks N-Nana," she quickly gave Winona another hug, before turning and hugging Jim.

"It's good to see you, Leonard," Winona said as she hugged him, not too surprised at the look of relief he gave her as she stepped back and turned to the others.

The greetings were slightly rushed as everyone gathered their luggage, but still warm. As Chekov hugged her, Jim had to smile at how close his friends and crew had gotten to his Mom.

Winona immediately spotted Uhura's engagement ring and happily congratulated her and Spock; after doing a very slight double take at the sight of Spock in a fedora.

Finally Winona made it through the group to Pike. He grinned and hugged her like everyone else. Only Jim was in a position to see the slight differences in their greeting than in the others. 'Naw they're just old friends, nothing to worry about. Though I guess they could do worse. Stop right there. There is no way there's anything going on between Mom and Pike.' Jim thought as Pike and Winona finally stepped back still grinning at each other.

"Mom," Jim said as she rejoined him. "I want you to meet Christine Chapel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ma'am," Christine replied with a smile.

"Same here I've heard a lot about you from the others," Winona told her. "And please, it's Winona. Ma'am still makes me feel like I'm at work and I retired two years ago."

"Alright then, Winona it is. Looks like Martin wants you Ca-Jim," Christine said with a nod at Martin.

"Well let's get ready to get outta here," Jim chuckled and quickly kissed his mom's cheek and headed over to see what Martin wanted.

"Sir, where are we going? Even the Chief didn't know," Martin asked quietly.

"All I really know is that it was arranged by Ambassador Sarek. So we probably should be asking his son," Jim explained as he waved Spock over.

"Is there a problem?" Spock asked looking between Jim and Martin.

"You do know where we're going, right?" Jim asked.

"Of course, my father made the arrangements. There is a vehicle waiting for us outside, and the house is stocked for our expected stay and a bit beyond. As my father pointed out, it is difficult to accurately judge the pace of the legal system here," Spock explained as they headed out of the terminal.

**A/N:** *kidogo moja- little one: Swahili

**A/N:** Chekov being one of the best players is taken from an interview in the special features on the BluRay. Bruce Greenwood (Pike, if you don't know/remember) says that between takes he, Anton Yelchin (Chekov) and John Cho (Sulu) would play chess and Anton Yelchin always beat them. I thought it was something that fit Chekov's character.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Sorry about the wait, real life took over for a while. Thank you as always to Bookdragon01 for beta-ing this chapter, and putting up with my troubles keeping Vulcan's sounding like Vulcans. lol

I only have a few more chapters finished, so I might have to go on a brief hiatus while I wade through getting the trial testamony worked out. I'm not saying it WILL happen just that it MIGHT. I promise to let you know if that ends up being the case. Thanks for putting up with me on this, I have at least 10 different character's testamony to write and only have a couple really started. take care

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><p>It took thirty minutes to get from the terminal to the house; Martin spent the trip passing his PADD around to the others.<p>

It was a good sized house in an older style set behind a ten foot gated wall lined with trees. The property wasn't large but there was room for gardens to surround the house and a two story four car garage connected by a covered walkway.

Leaving their bags in the entry, everyone took a quick tour of the house and met in the living room to decide on who was bunking with whom. Pike met with no arguments over his claim of the one downstairs bedroom, it would be the easiest for him. Upstairs, Chekov and Sulu quickly became roommates again. The ladies claimed the largest bedroom, while Martin, Carrannelli, and Lewis drew straws as to their sleeping rotation since their room only had two beds. McCoy and Joanna claimed the bedroom overlooking the sunroom, leaving Jim and Spock together, and Rhymer with Scotty by default since he was still at the terminal.

As soon as they'd decided the sleeping arrangements everyone gathered up their bags and headed for their rooms to unpack and get settled. McCoy quietly pulled Jim aside to ask him about mind melds, repeating Spock's offer. There wasn't much Jim could say since his only experience with one was during a crisis and with a compromised Vulcan.

As everyone finished they met again in the living room, Winona and Christine detoured through the kitchen to get drinks before joining the rest.

"So Spock, can you give us a bit more detail about the house and how your father made the reservations?" Pike asked once they were all seated with something to drink.

"Of course Admiral; as I told the Captain and Lt Martin, my father made arrangements with the Vulcan Council to use the house. It and several others were purchased soon after the establishment of the Vulcan Embassy on Earth. They were located in most major cities and served a similar function to old Earth guest houses for those Vulcans who had business on Earth but did not wish to use human accommodations," Spock explained.

"You said they _were_ in the major cities; aren't they anymore?" Winona asked.

"No, most have been sold over the last couple of years. There- has not been much use for them, and will not be for some time. The Council has logically decided to sell all but a few of them and use the proceeds to assist with rebuilding," Spock told her. "When Nyota and I explained what was going on and that we were searching for a safe location for the duration of our stay, my father proposed this residence. We had already scheduled a subspace call with The Council that night to place a petition before them so we presented our request to them as well, and they agreed that this was the best solution."

"Sorry if I'm buttin' in, but what were you petitionin' them for?" McCoy asked.

"We were petitioning for the establishment of the bond that is normally established during the forming of a marriage contract, usually at the age of seven. As well as for a formal bonding ceremony once we reach New Vulcan," Spock said with a glance at Uhura beside him.

"Are they gonna let you?" Joanna asked from where she was snuggled against her dad's side.

"Yes, kidogo moja. They actually found less to object to than Starfleet did." Uhura chuckled. "They seemed to think that since we had 'thoroughly considered the potential ramifications' for the last two years, there was nothing illogical about our petition," she added making the others chuckle.

"Since there is almost no chance of finding a Vulcan bond mate for me, in any case, they believed, logically, that our bonding was the best solution," Spock added somberly causing Uhura to lay her hand on his arm in comfort.

"I know there's gender imbalance right now, Spock; but you mean more than that, don't you?" Pike asked.

"Yes, with the council focusing on enlarging our population as safely as possible and it has been deemed- 'undesirable' that I participate because of my human heritage. The Elders do not wish to dilute the gene pool with so few Vulcans remaining. It had been hard enough for my father to find a family willing to overlook what was seen a disadvantage when I was a child; now with so few women left I would be at the bottom of any list of potential bond mates," Spock explained softly, though he tried to mask it, the pain was evident in the slight tightening of his expression.

"Since you're going to have a bonding ceremony when we get to New Vulcan, can we at least have a reception for you on board?" Jim asked changing the subject; he'd kind of hoped that they'd ask him to marry them as well, but he wasn't going to push.

"Thank you, Jim, that's nice, but can you wait to do it until we get back?" Uhura asked with a smirk and glance at Spock. "I'd like my family there."

"No problem, just let me know so I can get things arranged," Jim replied wondering what he was missing; the look on Uhura's face told him that much. Just then the gate buzzer sounded.

"That will most likely be Lt Cmdr Rhymer," Spock said. "I sent the address to his PADD before we left the terminal," he explained as Martin stood up and headed over to the intercom screen to make sure it was Rhymer and let him in.

"Sorry I took so long," Rhymer apologized as he returned from dropping his luggage in his and Scotty's room. "Archer is furious as well as Admiral Becket," he explained, referring to the head Judge Advocate. "I sent them a copy of the story and Becket got on the comm. to the publisher and the editor and was giving them hell even as I was filling Archer in on how we found out. Good eyes by the way Lieutenant," he said, nodding to Martin.

"Just doing my job Sir," Martin replied from his corner of the room.

"The paper is printing a correction and retraction of the story, as well as an apology for not checking their facts thoroughly. The reporter got what he thought were the facts from what was supposed to be a copy of the police report, and a statement from Schyster, Phister, and Smee, concerning what happened. I strongly suspect the report was planted by the lawyers; it reads too much like their statement," Rhymer reported as McCoy glowered at the news and wrapped his arm tighter around Joanna.

"Ok so where does that leave us?" McCoy growled.

"I have an advance copy of the retraction here, Doctor," Rhymer said handing over his PADD.

McCoy took the PADD scowling darkly and stared down at it as Jim came over and leaned over the back of the couch reading over his shoulder. As he finished the first paragraph Jim let out a low whistle. "That must be some law firm if they can manage to slip a fake report into the police computers," he commented sounding surprised.

"What does it say Jim?" his mom asked. "The least you can do is read what they wrote after that load of bullshit they published."

"Ok," Jim said as Bones handed it to him.

"'_USS Enterprise_ CMO Custody Battle Retraction

'_The Atlanta Constitution regrets that it made a serious error in its earlier story concerning the legal affairs of the _USS Enterprise's_ CMO, Lt Cmdr Dr Leonard H. McCoy. In that story we reported that Dr McCoy is at the middle of a legal battle over the abuse of his daughter. However we have since learned that our sources were seriously corrupted which misled our usually able reporting staff. The error was brought to our attention by Adm. Becket of Starfleet JAG. The fact that the Atlanta Police computer was also compromised in planting of a false police report is being investigated by the best of the APD's cyber crimes unit. _

_The Constitution has been informed, by Adm. Michael Archer, that Dr. McCoy has reopened his divorce case on the grounds of fraud and is suing for full custody of his ten year old daughter, Joanna, with whom he has only been allowed minimal contact for the past five years. We have also learned that Joanna was injured, not in an altercation during his visit, as previously reported, but allegedly by his ex-wife's fiancé, Mr. Victor Donavan, who is being held in connection with this case; as well as another concerning the assault of three Starfleet officers the same day at Dr McCoy's former residence. There is no evidence available at this time as to what role the former Mrs. McCoy played in either of these events._

_We have been informed by Adm. Becket of Starfleet JAG that the court dates are being withheld to make the whole ordeal easier on Dr McCoy and his daughter. _

_The only definite information we have at this time is that Starfleet has pushed back the _Enterprise's _diplomatic trip to New Vulcan with the full cooperation and support of Ambassador Sarek until the issue is resolved. 'It is our wish to support the crew of the _Enterprise_, both to repay them for the care and assistance they've given the Vulcan people, and specifically to express our gratitude to Dr. McCoy, for all he did to aid us in our darkest hour,' the Ambassador told us when contacted about the rescheduling. _

_We, at The Atlanta Constitution, wish to humbly apologize to both Dr McCoy, his daughter Joanna, and the crew of the _Enterprise _for the misinformation that we were given, through the corruption of our normal information gathering channels. We will be implementing new protocols to ensure that this will not happen again. We wish you all the best and speediest outcomes possible. ~ Gregory L. Finchly – Editor-in-chief.'"_

"Wow, I will say that they certainly did a turnaround from the first one," Sulu remarked when Jim finished reading.

"Zhey seem to be cowering zheir bottoms after zhe Admirals vere done vith zhem," Chekov agreed chuckling.

"Aye Laddie, ye threaten a man's professional reputation an' he'll try an' do wha' he can ta please ye. 'Specially if yer in the righ' to b'gin wi'," Scotty remarked.

"Let's just hope they stay turned around and away from us. Or you guys might be bailin' me outta Captain Logan's jail," McCoy grumbled.

"You and me both, Bones," Jim remarked shooting his friend a grin.

"'You and me both' what?" McCoy asked slightly suspicious of the look on Jim's face.

"We both hope they don't say anything else and we might both need bailing out if they do," Jim replied with a shit eating grin, causing Uhura, Winona, and Christine to roll their eyes.

"Calm down you two, I swear, no one's sayin' anythin'," Christine commented as she and Uhura shared a laughing glance.

"Yes, now how about we go see what we can come up with for lunch?" Winona asked standing up and heading towards the hall door leading to the kitchen.

"We'll help Nana," Joanna said getting up, pulling her dad along with her to take Winona's hand.

"Thank you, Joanna, Leonard," Winona told her smiling at McCoy's expression. "Nyota, Spock I might need your help too, depending on what's in the kitchen. My Vulcan was never that good, and you will know better than I do what goes with what," she told the two as they stood to join her.

"Mom, why don't we do like we did at the house? That way we'll all get fed faster and no one will have all the work," Jim suggested with a smile that threatened to turn into laughter at the puzzled looks on the newcomers faces.

"Sounds like a plan, Jim," Winona agreed. "We basically did pot lucks over leave. Everyone made something or helped make something for the meal," she explained as the others got up as well.

"Ma'am, one of us has to stay on security watch, so I don't see how we can help in the kitchen," Lt. Lewis remarked.

"Lieutenant, there is a remote station in the kitchen," Spock informed them.

Don't worry 'bout it, we won't let you starve, Lieutenant-?" Winona said.

"Lewis, Bejal Lewis, Ma'am," he said, flushing slightly red, causing the faint spots along his hairline to become more visible.

"Where does Bejal come from? It sounds familiar," Winona asked as she led the way to the kitchen.

"It's Trill, Ma'am. My grandmother was on one of the first ships to make contact with them," Lewis replied looking a bit uncomfortable.

"I've met a few Trill when I was in Starfleet, they're an interesting people. Please, Lieutenant, its Winona. And that goes for the rest of you as well," Winona replied with a glance at the others that hadn't been at the farm, as Spock paused to show Martin, Carrannelli, and Lewis where the satellite security station was located in a corner of the kitchen.

"It was designed so that security could be maintained by a limited number of individuals," Spock told them activating the oversized display that could be seen from the rest of the kitchen.

"I met a Trill while I was in medical school at Ole Miss, named Emony Dax," McCoy mentioned idly as they started their search of the kitchen.

They spent the next ten minutes searching the kitchen and making an inventory of what groceries they had and might need to get soon. Since most of them weren't totally fluent in Vulcan anything they couldn't read or weren't sure of was placed to the side of the refrigeration unit, deep freeze or brought to the large island to be identified while everything else was noted on the old fashioned note pads they'd found in the security alcove drawer. Ambassador Sarek had thoughtfully made sure that there was a wide variety of choices, not just Vulcan foods available.

Christine was looking through the refrigeration unit and started grinning at her finds. "I'm makin' dinner," she called to the others. "I hope y'all like jambalaya. Don't worry I can make some of it vegetarian too," she added remembering that Spock at least was a vegetarian.

"We got all the stuff for corn bread, Miss Christine," Joanna called from the large pantry where she, Uhura, and Spock were going through the various non-perishables. "At least as far as I can remember the dry stuff, we do."

"What else goes with jambalaya besides corn bread?" Winona asked looking up from the cupboard she was going through.

"Salad, vegetables, at least that's what my Mama and Grandmamma always fixed," McCoy replied from the door of the walk in deep freeze.

"Same here, but as long as it's not really odd like refried beans, or curry; just about anythin'," Christine added. "How on Earth do you know so much 'bout jambalaya for a Georgia boy, Leo?"

"My Grandmama Duvall, my Mama's Mama, was raised in Baton Rouge before she married and moved to Savannah, that's how," McCoy replied, snarling slightly at the insinuation he didn't know what he was talking about.

"Well that means you're one of my taste testers tonight, Leo, since you know what it's supposed to taste like," Christine informed him with a smile. "I need at least one more, so I don't get it too spicy," she added looking around the group.

"What is jambalaya exactly?" Martin asked from the other side of the room where he was looking through the cleaning supplies. "I've heard about it but never what's in it."

"Rice, tomatoes, sausage, shrimp, green peppers, chili powder, cayenne some folks add corn," Christine replied.

"Bones didn't you try and make that once our second year?" Jim asked looking down from the chair he was standing on to check the top shelves.

"No, that was a boil, Jim," McCoy answered closing the freezer door and passing Winona his list. "So what do we have?"

"Looks like we're set for a while, we'll need milk, bread, and eggs before anything else, but that's about it," Winona reported looking over the various lists of what they had.

"I will volunteer to be your second taster, Nurse Chapel, as I have a dislike of overly spicy foods," Spock said with a nod to Christine.

"Thank you Commander. I appreciate it," Christine replied as she looked over Winona's shoulder at the lists.

"Well it looks like sandwiches are the easiest thing we have at the moment, so someone grab the bread and everyone get your favorite fillings," Winona announced. "And no swiping other people's food, without _asking_ first," she said with a look at Jim and Leonard that had everyone that had been together over leave laughing or shooting amused looks at the two, who both looked a bit shamefaced.

Pike and the others were exchanging baffled glances when Winona explained, "These two may not be related but they act as much like brothers as Jim and Sam ever did."

"Who's Sam, Mrs.– I mean Winona?" Cupcake asked.

"Sam's my older brother, Martin," Jim answered grabbing the bread; he had to smile at the look of surprised horror on Cupcake's face at the thought of there being two of Jim.

"Don't worry, Sam's nothing like Jim for attracting trouble," Winona said

"Yeah Jim unfortunately takes after their father, though Sam looks more like George," Pike added with a chuckle as they made their sandwiches.

"If you say so, Sir," Martin replied dubiously causing Jim, Pike and Winona to grin.

After lunch everyone split up to explore the house and grounds, except for McCoy, Joanna and Spock, who headed for the small library.

McCoy and Joanna settled on the small couch by the old fashioned fireplace while Spock took the chair opposite them.

"Mr. Spock, Daddy said that you could show me a way to help keep me from panicking this week, somethin' 'bout lookin' inside my head. I'm not sure I understood what he meant though." Joanna said hesitantly, looking at him carefully.

"I can't really explain somethin' I don't understand myself, Jo. The only person I know of whose done one is Jim and he said that one doesn't count 'cause of the circumstances." McCoy grumpily explained; put out that he wasn't sure what he was getting himself and Joanna into.

"I suggested to your father that a mind meld might be useful in calming your fears. I would be linking my mind to yours telepathically, only enough to see your memories. I would be seeing and hearing what you had, and would be able to communicate after a fashion with you though I am uncertain how much you would be able to respond; the only other humans I have done this with are Nyota and my mother. With both it was a more open meld in that they could see into my mind as well. You won't be able to see into my mind this time. I do not wish to over whelm you as even adult humans can often find a Vulcan mind extremely disorienting," Spock explained with a quick glance at McCoy. "It is a precaution so there is no chance that your mind could be overloaded by mine. With this, Joanna, the object is to reduce your fear of what happened to you without removing it completely. That would be as undesirable as either doing nothing or causing an increase in your fears. Also, if there is time, after we are finished, and you wish, I will show you a meditation technique that my mother used when she was upset," Spock explained more gently than McCoy had ever heard him. "Or I can show you tomorrow if that would be better."

Joanna nodded, "Ok. Is there a chance that it would help my nightmares?"

"Yes, there is a direct connection between fears and nightmares, according to a study I recently found in the Starfleet Medical archives," Spock replied surprising McCoy. "I was looking for method that might help Joanna that you either had not thought of or might not consider, Doctor. The continuation of these nightmares, particularly the ones from the last three nights have a potential to cause harm if we cannot find the cause and remedy it."

McCoy nodded in understanding.

"When can we do it?" Joanna asked.

"If you and your father have no objections I can initiate the meld this evening," Spock replied with a glance between them. "I would be using the time in between in my own meditation to ensure that there were no unforeseen occurrences."

"Are ya sure, Jo? I'm not tryin' to talk you outta it, I just don't want you to overdo," McCoy asked looking at her concerned.

"Yeah, Daddy, I'm sure. I want to get rid of these nightmares, if I can. And if I can't face Mama and everyone, I won't get to stay with you," Joanna replied. She knew that it might not be the wisest thing but if she could do something about her nightmares without anyone finding out about why they had suddenly gotten worse it would be worth it. And if Mr. Spock found out well there wasn't anything she could do anyway, and maybe it would actually help. She was tired of being scared.

"Alight, Jo. Spock, what do you need to do this?" McCoy asked still concerned, but willing to try for Joanna's sake. That didn't stop him from shooting Spock a warning look, which Spock responded to with a nod of understanding.

"All I require is a seat where I can reach Joanna's head and no interruptions; I do not anticipate that the meld will take more than approximately 15.365 minutes unless I run into an unforeseen problem, which is highly unlikely." Spock replied. The next ten minutes were spent answering the Doctor's questions about mind melds in healing and in general before they separated; McCoy and Joanna to explore the gardens and Spock to meditate.

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><p>Jim watched as the three entered the library pleased that Bones had taken his advice and at least was going to discuss a mind meld with Spock.<p>

"What's up Jim?" Winona asked as she joined him at the living room doorway.

"Just thinking, Mom," Jim replied shooting her a quick grin. "Spock offered to do a mind meld with JoJo to try and help her calm down. I told Bones to go for it. He was worried that it would make things worse for her because of hearing me talk about the one Ambassador Sp-Selek did with me on Delta Vega. I had to remind him that the guy was compromised at the time and in a hurry so he couldn't use it for comparison," Jim told her and gave her a brief description of what he'd experienced.

"Well I hope it helps her. She's gone through enough. They both have. And if this works for her during the trials it'll be a God send," Winona replied.

"Me too. So, Mom, did you remember the stuff I asked you to bring?" Jim asked her with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, the bag is in my suitcase. Come on so you can get it without an audience," she replied chuckling at his insistence that his hobby remain a secret as she led him to the room she was sharing with Uhura and Christine.

"Thanks, Mom. Now I need to figure out what to make Spock and Uhura and I want to make something for JoJo too; kinda a welcome home gift," Jim explained opening the bag and pulling out one of the sets of knitting needles. "These are some of Gramma Sarah's. Mom, I promise I'll take good care of them," he replied giving her a hug, pleased that she'd trust him with her Mom's needles. "Think we can sneak off to a store tomorrow and get some yarn?"

Winona had to laugh at the look of eager anticipation on her son's face; it reminded her of Christmas mornings when he was a kid. "I think we can manage, Jim. Do you have any ideas on what to make?" she asked as they walked to his and Spock's room.

"Well I was kinda thinking about a blanket of some sort for Spock and Uhura. I gave her a throw for her first birthday on the ship. She brings it to the rec room a lot of the time," Jim replied smiling at the memory of Uhura, blanket over her legs as she worked on a project of her own. "She crotchets, so it's interesting to watch her work. Though she's not secretive about what she makes, just who it's for," he said with a grin.

"I might ask her to teach me while all this is going on. It'll be good to have something to do in the evening. And since you won't admit you know how and join us, you can teach Joanna to wind yarn, if she doesn't want to learn to knit," Winona informed him and had to laugh at the slightly disgusted look on his face. "Isn't that what Cassie started both of us on when she taught us?" she asked pointedly still grinning.

"Yeah, Mom, I'll think about coming clean. I kinda like no one knowing the stuff comes from me though. And I'm kind worried bout the amount of shit I'll get once it gets out," Jim told her, looking embarrassed at the thought.

"Oh Jim, I can't believe you're still bothered that that idiot Carl Handerfeld called you a sissy because he saw you knitting when you were fourteen," Winona sighed in exasperation sitting on Spock's bed. "There's nothing wrong with it. I'm sure even Spock would agree that it's a good form of meditation."

"I guess, Mom. First we need to get the yarn and figure out what I'm making for them exactly. I want it to be something for both of them. I have what I want to put in that's Vulcan; the IDIC symbol, since it definitely fits them. I just haven't figured out what to do with it that would be African."

"Maybe the color scheme. We can look that up tonight I bet," Winona replied standing as Jim tucked the bag of needles in the bottom of his suitcase. Then they headed down to the office to have a long conversation about his ideas for what to make with his mom and research colors before dinner.

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><p><strong><span>AN: **Jadzia Dax makes the remark in 'Trials and Tribble-ations' that she knew McCoy when her symbiot host, Emony, was on Earth to judge a gymnastics competition and he was in medical school.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Thank you to Bookdragon01 for managing to beta this chapter while reconstructing her own work. I'm not sure how you did it so fast so thank you. I'm still plugging away at the courtroom testemony. So please be patient, my muse is being erratic at the moment for several characters.

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed or even just read this I really appreciate your reviews and that you're enjoying the story enought to keep coming back for the next chapter whether you leave a review or not.

take care

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><p>Dinner preparations started just after 3:00 that afternoon. Christine quickly rounded up and drafted McCoy, Joanna and Winona to help get things started. Once the major prep work was mostly finished, and the cooking started, several of the others started to drift in, drawn by the smells to talk and watch what was going on.<p>

"Damnit Chris, there's no way in hell I'm lettin' ya put that much damned cayenne in anythin' let alone the jambalaya," McCoy's irate voice interrupted the pleasant buzz of conversation.

"I'm not putting all of it in, you jack ass," Christine shot back glaring daggers at him. "This was the only measurin' spoon I could find, so I'm gonna have to eyeball one and a half teaspoons, Leo."

"What did ya expect me to think when I see you with the tablespoon clear full and holdin' it over the pot?" McCoy shot back though his tone was more normal. "I'm no mind reader Chris, and it looked like it was all goin' in."

"Are they always like this?" Winona whispered to Uhura.

"Off duty a little bit, but you'll have to ask Jim about what goes on in the Medbay. He's in there more than I am," Uhura replied softly, grinning at her friends' antics.

"Oh yes they go at it, Mom. Why do you think I pop in so much when there's nothing else going on and I need a break from paperwork?" Jim replied from where he'd been eves dropping on the knitting vs crocheting debate between his mom and Uhura, smirking at the pair still glaring at each other. "It's better than some of the vids in the rec rooms sometimes."

"Glad you think so, Jim. Now that I know why you're always takin' up space I'll be sure to toss you out on your ass next time you come in without some injury," McCoy deadpanned with a semi mock glare at Jim. "And I don't want you getting' hurt on purpose just so you can show up either."

"Come on, Bones, that's not why I drop in and you know it," Jim said trying to look hurt, but the laughter in his eyes gave him away.

"If you're done, Leo? Can I get back to cookin' or do you want to chew on me some more?" Christine asked sweetly, sending McCoy a slightly disgusted look.

"Sorry, Chris, I'll leave ya to it," he replied turning back to the last of the vegetables on his cutting board. "Just let me know when you need these, alright?"

"Don't worry I will." Christine replied with a smirk as she carefully tipped cayenne into both pots.

Martin ended up filling in for Spock as taste tester, because Spock was deep enough in meditation that Uhura didn't want to disturb him until it was time to eat.

Everyone had at least seconds that night and after a communal clean up they separated again to kill time until bed.

McCoy, Joanna, and Spock headed again for the library. Once they were settled again on the couch, Spock picked up a small foot stool and moved it so he could sit facing Joanna. "It will not affect the meld for you two to be in contact with each other; in fact it might be best if you were as it will give you, Joanna an anchor other than myself if you need it, though your father will not be a part of the meld," Spock explained as he got settled on the footstool, and was relieved when Joanna snuggled up against her father's side. "Doctor I will appear to be meditating, I know that you have seen me in that state several times while in your care; Joanna will appear to be asleep, any reactions that she displays will be as if she were dreaming; at least that is the way my father described the appearance of a human participating in a mind meld. I only rarely saw him meld with my mother while I was a child. I asked him before we left San Francisco as I wished to verify what I remembered from that time."

"Alright I'll trust you and your father to know what you're talking about," McCoy grumbled as Joanna got settled and gripped his hand.

"You will be aware of my presence but I will be shielding my mind from yours, so you will feel very little, if any of my thoughts. Relax Joanna, nothing will harm you, you are completely safe," Spock gently placed his fingers on the psi points on her face, quickly bringing up his own mental shields as strongly as possible. "Your mind to my mind," he murmured looking into her eyes as he slowly initiated the meld.

Even using the afternoon to meditate and reinforce his mental shields, Spock was still almost overwhelmed by the sheer chaos of her mind, the strongest emotions he could feel were a tangled mix of curiosity, fear and surprise. He carefully took a moment to reorient himself since there was no chance of her mind being able to do any serious harm to his. 'You are safe Joanna relax,' he sent the thought to her. Slowly the chaotic barrage subsided and he could discern individual thoughts and emotions. Spock 'looked' around at the familiar kaleidoscope of color, muted sound, and emotion that was the human mind searching for the root of Joanna's fear.

Her nightmares stood out vividly against the shifting background of her memories and thoughts, making them easy for him to follow. As he carefully moved through her mind, following the 'trail' of nightmares, a flash from a phaser in one of them caught his eye. It took a moment to figure out that what he was seeing was from Joanna's perspective as she was being pulled backwards down a familiar corridor. It was the main one outside the Medbay, only now littered with bodies and shrouded in smoke. After a quick look he identified the bodies of the command crew, including his own, as well as the senior crew, the last bodies were the Captain, Nurse Chapel and the Doctor. _'See you should've kept your mouth shut'_ a voice declared as the nightmare ended abruptly.

A quick 'glance' at the other nightmares confirmed that several of them were similar scenarios always ending with the threat against talking; while the others concerned mostly Victor. Now Spock was getting worried; it seemed that someone had managed to threaten Joanna, and if the increase in her nightmares was an indicator it had happened within the last 89.56 hours. How that had been accomplished was something that would have to be investigated at a later time, now he had to locate the initial threat and convince Joanna to allow him into that memory, or at least disclose the method and or location of the communication so that he could discover it for himself if her fear proved too great at the moment. Spock realized that there was a strong probability that he would need several melds with Joanna to help her overcome her terror of both being in Atlanta and whatever threat had been made against her and the _Enterprise_.

Following the trail of her nightmares, Spock found at least part of what he was looking for, a nasty tangle of terror surrounding one memory. 'Joanna, there is nothing to fear, let me see what's in there,' he requested gently.

The only response was a contracting of the memory.

'Joanna, it will be easier to protect you and the ship if we know what to watch for.'

This time Joanna's response was a zipper.

It took Spock a moment to remember what that human symbol meant: that the one making it would not tell. 'If you cannot tell me, will you at least give a clue to allow me to locate the information on my own? If I find it, then you have not told me therefore the stricture that was placed on you against talking will not have been broken,' Spock suggested, hoping that she'd give him that much information. Spock decided to let her have time to think about that as he moved on to the matter of her original nightmares.

* * *

><p>McCoy was getting antsy; it had been almost fifteen minutes since Spock had started the meld with Joanna. Both had looked like they were sleeping for the first ten minutes or so then Joanna had gone stiff with tension, while Spock's only change was a steady lowering of his eyebrows. Now every so often she'd twitch and her grip on his hand was getting tighter the longer the meld went on. 'Damnit, I should have told the hobgoblin to forget it or made Jo wait till tomorrow,' he thought darkly as Joanna's arm twitched violently. 'At least I should have found out what to do to bring them out of this damn hocus pocus of his.'<p>

A minute later Joanna relaxed as Spock sighed, opened his eyes, slowly removed his hand from her face, and closed his eyes again as a slight tremor shook him as he tried to bring his emotions back under control.

McCoy quickly checked his daughter's pulse and breathing, then looked over at Spock. He was shocked to see that Spock's head was bowed and his hands were white knuckled fists. If it had been Jim sitting there McCoy would have said he was trying to keep his temper but with Spock he wasn't so sure.

"Spock?" he said softly trying to figure out what was wrong, Joanna was sleeping, and McCoy figured out there was a reason for it; most likely Spock had something to do with it and he wanted to know what. But McCoy wasn't quite ready for the fury in Spock's eyes when he looked up.

Before he could react, Spock's left hand had closed tightly around his right wrist and his face was inches from McCoy's. The fury he could feel coming off the Vulcan held him immobile long enough for Spock to grate out, "When she awakens send for me, find her green PADD, but _do not _say anything around it". By the time McCoy recovered from the shock of both the contact and the rage burning in Spock's eyes making them appear black instead of their normal dark brown, Spock was gone.

"That green blooded bastard," McCoy muttered in frustration gently shifting Joanna, laying her down on the couch. As he was covering her up with a throw, Uhura burst in.

"Len, wha-?" she started but stopped seeing Joanna asleep and the anger on the doctor's face as he crossed the room towards her. "What's wrong Len?" she asked again softer when he joined her.

"That goddamned green blooded hobgoblin you're engaged to is what the hell's wrong Nyota," McCoy snarled then glanced back at Joanna to make sure she was still asleep.

"What happened?" Uhura demanded, knowing that her friend needed to blow off steam but that they might not have time to go through his list of epithets at the moment.

"He somehow put Jo to sleep before he ended the meld then turned around lookin' like he was gonna kill me right then, grabbed me, snapped out some damned orders, and stormed out!" he explained heatedly.

"What did he say?" the urgency in her voice stopping any further ranting.

"To get him when Jo wakes up and to find her green PADD but not to say anythin' around it," McCoy replied absentmindedly rubbing his wrist where Spock had grabbed him. "And he was more pissed than I've ever seen him, including when he tried to strangle Jim," he added. "How'd you know somethin' was wrong anyhow?"

"I could feel it," she replied looking slightly embarrassed. "It's part of the bonding. I can feel if he's alright and a bit about his emotional state. He can feel the same from me though it's a lot fainter since I'm not a telepath. After the ceremony the connection will get stronger and we'll be able to tell more about where the other is and what we're feeling," she quickly explained.

"Is he alright?" McCoy asked starting to get concerned about Spock himself.

"Yes, from what I can tell; he probably left so that he wouldn't hurt anyone with his anger before he could get it under control again. Also so no one else would see his loss of control," Uhura replied after a moment's thought.

"Alright, any idea why the hell he had to scare me like that?" he growled still upset by the whole thing.

"Most likely something his learned from Joanna upset him enough that he was reacting as a human rather than a Vulcan. He couldn't hide his anger and probably gambled that seeing it would keep you from asking questions, because he would be trying to get away so he could regain control in private," Uhura explained slowly, thinking her way though Spock's actions. "Do you want me to go find the PADD or stay with Joanna while you do it?"

"If you want you can go get it, it should be in our room, probably in her backpack. I really don't want to leave Jo till I know she's ok," McCoy replied. Then hurried to add as he saw the outrage flicker to life in Uhura's eyes; "I know he wouldn't hurt her, but havin' him lookin' through her memories of those nightmares won't have been easy on her. If you see Jim can ya tell him what happened?"

Uhura nodded, relieved that McCoy was calming down. "I'll let him know and then go find Spock. She'll be fine Len, I'll be right back," she replied quietly leaving the room.

McCoy went back to sitting beside Joanna and trying to calm his own temper at Spock's actions, now that he had at least a reason behind them. But the memory of the pure fury in those almost black eyes made him shudder.

Uhura was back in five minutes with the PADD. After seeing that Joanna was still sleeping peacefully, she left to try and find Spock. McCoy glared at the PADD for a few minutes wondering if whatever was on there was what set Spock off or if there was something else.

* * *

><p>"Uhura to Kirk," Uhura said into her communicator as she headed for the front door.<p>

"_Kirk here. What's up?" _Jim replied a moment later.

"Len asked me to let you know that Spock found something and stormed out of the house after his meld with Joanna," Uhura said as she reached the door and stepped outside.

"_Do you have any idea what he found and if he's ok?"_ Jim asked worried about all three of them now.

"Not specifically but whatever he found upset him enough that he almost lost control. It's serious Jim; I felt his reaction clearly and from what I can tell it's at least as bad as his reaction two years ago. Before he left he told Len to get him when Joanna wakes up and to find her green PADD. I got the PADD for Len because he didn't want to leave Joanna. For some reason we aren't supposed to talk around the PADD, my guess is something he found out led him to believe it could be bugged," she explained looking around the yard trying to figure out where Spock might have gone. "I'm looking for Spock right now; he most likely went to find a quiet place to meditate until he's back in control."

"_Thanks Uhura, Mom and I'll go check on them right now. Let me know how Spock is when you find him," _Jim told her.

"I will, Jim. Uhura out," she closed her communicator, and headed for the garage, since that was the closest place of solitude she could see.

* * *

><p>Jim knocked softly on the library door before opening it. Bones looked up at him and Winona from the chair beside Joanna relieved that they'd showed up before he did something about that PADD.<p>

As they entered he pointed at the PADD on the table. Jim nodded and carefully picked it up keeping his thumb over the camera lens. It only took a moment to find the mic pick up, and the stylus. There was a sharp 'crack' as he shoved the stylus into the mic as hard as he dared and gave it a couple twists and wiggles, before doing the same to the camera, leaving the stylus deeply embedded in the lens.

"How you holdin up, Bones?" Jim asked, gently clapping him on the shoulder as he set the PADD back on the table.

"Are ya sure you want me to answer that right now, Jim?" Bones answered as Winona hugged him.

"She'll be fine, Leonard, you'll see," she assured him as she stepped back.

"I hope so, Winona," McCoy replied as Jim gently brushed some hair out of Joanna's face.

"Will you tell us what happened?" Winona asked as she settled on the footstool Spock had used and Jim took the floor leaning back against the couch by Joanna's knees.

McCoy filled them in on the events of the last half hour, surprising Winona with the description of Spock's reaction.

"Sounds familiar, Bones," Jim said nodding. "It spooked me a bit when he was looking at me like that too. JoJo and Mom were the main reasons I managed to keep going with my insults. Well them and revenge for everything."

"I know, Jim. It's the damn not knowing what that hobgoblin found out that's killin' me right now," Bones replied testily.

"We'll get our answers soon enough, Leonard," Winona reminded him with an understanding smile.

Before he could reply Joanna murmured in her sleep and shifted, bumping Jim in the shoulder with her knee. That slight contact seemed to wake her up and a few moments later her eyes opened.

"Daddy?" she murmured sitting up, as Jim stood so her Dad could sit on the edge of the couch.

"Right here, Darlin'. Are you alright?" McCoy asked worriedly.

"I think so, Daddy, though I had the weirdest dream after Mr. Spock left my head," Joanna replied rubbing her eyes and seeing the others. "Hi Uncle Jim, Nana," she smiled at them.

"Hey JoJo, we were just keeping your dad company while you were asleep," Jim said smiling back at her while McCoy called Christine to bring him a tricorder.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Around twenty minutes countin' the meld, Jo. What was so weird about your dream?" McCoy asked as Joanna sat up to make room for him.

"I was in a room with a big, live teddy bear type animal, but with fangs, restin' its head in my lap, and we were watchin' the sunset over a desert, outside the window. It wasn't bad weird, just odd but peaceful, and beautiful," Joanna explained slowly trying to put what she'd seen into words as her dad checked her pulse.

"It does sound peaceful, JoJo," Jim said standing up. "I'll be right back," he told them, quickly scooping up the PADD as he left the room and pulled out his communicator. "Kirk to Spock," there was no reply, "Spock come in," Jim repeated starting to get worried.

"_Spock here, Captain, what can I do for you?" _Spock finally answered a slight strain evident in his voice.

"Nothing for me, Spock, Bones told me you wanted to know when Joanna woke up," Jim told him. "Are you alright?"

"_I will be, but I will require more meditation tonight,"_ Spock replied. _"We will be there shortly. Will you advise Admiral Pike, Lt Cmdr Rhymer and Lieutenant Martin that their presence will also be needed?"_

"Sure, Spock, we'll be waiting, Kirk out," Jim replied and went in search of them. He had only taken a couple steps when Christine hurried up to him.

"Kirk, do you know what's goin' on around here?" she asked shifting the bag of medical supplies on her shoulder.

"Yeah, but Bones will have to fill you in, I've got to find Pike, Rhymer, and Martin," Jim replied apologetically. He hated blowing off his crew, especially those he counted as friends.

"Not even a hint?" Christine asked with a smirk; she knew he hated not being able to answer questions; almost as much as she hated surprises.

"I'd love to Christine, but at the moment Bones knows more about it that me," he replied with a grin.

"Ok, I think Pike and Rhymer are in the sun room; at least that where I saw them headin' after dinner."

"Thanks Christine," he replied changing directions as he opened his communicator to contact Martin. Christine shook her head and opened the library door.

Pike and Rhymer were still in the sun room, deep in conversation. Jim hated to interrupt but this was urgent."Kirk to Martin."

"_Martin here, Captain, what's up?"_ Marin asked from Jim's communicator.

"Admiral, Rhymer, Martin, I hate to interrupt but Spock found out some things from Joanna, and you need to hear them," Jim told them quietly.

"From Joanna?" Rhymer asked surprised that Spock had managed to get her to talk.

"Kinda, he got her and Bones to let him try a mind meld on her, that's how he got it. Whatever he found is important, he nearly lost his temper over it, and managed to spook Bones pretty badly before he left to calm down. Uhura's with him, and they're gonna be coming back shortly, as soon as Spock has his temper at least under control enough to tell us," Jim explained. "Mom and Chapel are with Bones and Joanna right now."

"Do you have any idea what he found?" Pike asked looking worried.

"Only that it's on this PADD of hers. Spock only stayed long enough to tell Bones to get him when she woke up, to find the PADD and that it might be bugged, so I took care of that," Jim said quickly as he showed Rhymer and Pike his solution to the 'bug'. "I just talked to him to let him know Joanna was awake and he said that 'your presence was needed'."

"_Where are they and I'll meet you there,"_ Martin said sounding slightly worried.

"They're in the library," Jim replied a small smile on his face at the idea that his tough as nails security officer might be getting attached to Joanna.

"We'll meet you there, Martin," Pike answered standing up as Rhymer picked up the PADDs they had been looking over.

As they headed down the hall from the sun room they were joined by Martin coming from the security room in the middle of the house. They were met at the library door by Spock and Uhura. Spock definitely looked more human than the rest had ever seen him, his emotions were clearly visible in his face and he was very slightly unsteady. Uhura stood beside him watching worriedly as the rest reached them.

"Spock, are you alright?" Pike asked slightly alarmed by the amount of emotion on his normally stoic former First Officer's face.

"I apologize Admiral, Captain, and Lieutenant, unfortunately I have suffered a serious breach of my control, and while I am back in control of my emotions I beg your indulgence for the time being. I will be my customary self after a more thorough session of meditation," Spock said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, Spock," Pike responded waving the apology away.

"Thank you, Admiral. If you will be patient I need to speak with Doctor McCoy concerning getting Joanna to sleep tonight. I will return to report on what I learned from her during our meld," Spock replied "I should not be more than ten minutes."

"Take as long as you need Spock," Jim assured him. "What do you want me to do with this?" he asked holding up the PADD he'd taken from the library earlier. "Don't worry I took care of the mic as well as the camera."

"We will need it for it contains part of the reason for her fears, the one that she would not reveal to me, other than that it is located on that PADD," Spock replied looking at the device with an expression of mixed disgust and anger that surprised everyone.

"We'll wait for you in the living room, Spock," Pike said. Spock nodded and opened the door as the rest of them headed for the living room to wait where they were joined a few minutes later by Winona and Christine.

Ten minutes later Spock, Uhura, and a scowling McCoy, carrying a sleeping Joanna, entered.

"She's fine, Spock had me give her a mild sedative, so that she'd sleep through this," McCoy replied to the general look of alarm on everyone's faces as he carried her towards the far corner of the room. "Jim, can you grab that bench so I can lay her down?"

"Sure Bones," Jim replied, picking up the wide, padded bench and following them. A moment later Jim looked back over his shoulder, "Can someone toss me a blanket? Thanks Mom," he said a moment later as Winona tossed the one from the back of her chair.

"Ok, you Hobgoblin, I want to see that hand to make sure ya didn't actually break somethin' as well as stop ya from getting' blood all over everythin' when the scabs crack open the next time you seriously try and use it!" McCoy growled out giving Spock the look he usually reserved for Jim for hiding injuries as he walked back to the group while Jim struggled to hide a smirk behind his back.

"Doctor, it is a minor injury and does not require medical care," Spock replied calmly, but his answer seemed to incense the doctor even more.

"Oh really, Spock, and when did you become a doctor in the last three weeks? 'Cause I seem to have missed it," McCoy snarled quietly, for him. "Unless you want me to knock your green blooded ass out, I'd suggest you let me see it."

With a small sigh Spock held his right hand out for McCoy's inspection.

"How the hell did you manage to do this?" McCoy asked more calmly, running his tricorder over the scraped skin across Spock's knuckles and the deep green bruise across the back of his hand below his first three fingers.

"I, unfortunately, acted on my anger after I left you by punching one of the large punching bags in the workout room over the garage. I am afraid that in addition to injuring my hand my blow sent the bottom of the bag, which for some unaccountable reason was unsecured, into the wall, leaving a sizable hole," Spock explained, in what, in a human, McCoy would have called a sheepish tone.

McCoy's response was an irritated huff as he ran the dermal regenerator over Spock's hand and then released him to take his seat beside Uhura, while McCoy dropped onto the couch between Jim and Winona.

As soon as they were seated Spock took a deep breath and began, "What I found out from Joanna during our mind meld was unexpected and unsettling. Though I do not know the total extent of what has caused her night terrors, however, what I was able to convince her to reveal indicated that she has been threatened by Donovan prior to the events that brought us here originally. It appears that as soon as he found out about you being allowed to take Joanna with you for leave, Doctor, he began to plant the idea in her head that if anything happened to interfere with his marriage to her mother and adoption of her he would make sure that she had no further contact with you." As he continued to relay what he'd learned everyone's expressions darkened.

"That goddamned bastard!" McCoy managed to grate out through clenched teeth as his hands tightened into white knuckled fists.

"What else did you find Spock?" Jim asked quickly as he, and Winona reached out to lay their hands on his shoulders to keep him seated and help him calm down.

"There is not much else that I can tell you for certain. I have made a few hypotheses concerning what may be on her PADD. During the meld I saw several of her more recent night terrors; they all contained the apparent deaths of everyone she knows on the_ Enterprise _as well as her abduction. From what I witnessed, it appeared that our deaths occurred while attempting to stop her removal from the ship or some other location," Spock explained gravely. "Every scenario ended with a voice admonishing her for talking about something. I fear that some of the images were what weakened my control, to the point that finding out about the threat from Donovan managed to cause me to- I believe the term is- 'lose it."

"What do you know about this PADD?" Pike asked looking at it darkly while various scenarios ran through his mind.

"She got it for her birthday last year I think. I can't remember who she said gave it to her though, sorry. At the time I'd been dealin' with the whole damn Barengaria VII Dragon mess and hadn't gotten much sleep for the last week," McCoy explained, still growling slightly at the whole situation.

"I was only able to convince Joanna to show me the location of what was causing her terrors. All she would tell me is that they relate to something on it. Even though I could have compelled her to reveal it to me, I was unwilling to push the issue both because she is a child and she has been through enough; I could not in any sense condone such an invasion of privacy unless there were no alternative and the matter was life or death," Spock replied gravely. "She would only add that something was odd about the PADD that involved it knowing things that should not be possible."

"Whatever is on that thing will wait till morning," Winona said firmly, causing everyone to stare at her.

"Why on Earth do you say that, Winona?" Pike asked puzzled.

"I assume you're going to go looking through it for the information," Winona explained calmly though everyone could see her anger at whoever had threatened Joanna. "By morning everyone will be rested and calm enough to make sure nothing's missed that might nail this bastard. Also it might be a good idea for Joanna to be out of the house while you're doing it. She certainly doesn't need to be around for all the legal discussions about how to use whatever you find, or the explosions that are sure to erupt when you find it"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**Sorry this chapter took so long but real life managed to kick my butt a lot more than I was expecting. My note about what's been going on is on my profile so I won't rehash it here. I'll try not to give you any more cliffhangers when there's even a slight chance of a delay in posting the next one, I think this has cured me of doing that.

Thank you as always to Bookdragon01 for the quick beta-ing once I managed to get it to her. lol

* * *

><p>"Ok, Mom, we'll wait, at least to go searching for the information, but I want to have a look at it now so that we at least know what sort of hacking we're looking at doing," Jim said after exchanging glances with the others as he picked up the PADD again.<p>

"What exactly are you thinking about for tomorrow, Winona?" Pike asked, keeping part of his attention on what Jim was doing.

"I was thinking maybe a little shopping. I brought some knitting needles with me so I'd have something to do in the evenings and I'd thought I'd see about teaching Joanna, if she wanted to learn," Winona answered with a smile at her old friend.

"That sounds good, Winona," McCoy replied, as Jim started swearing under his breath. "What, Jim?"

"Whoever gave this to her set it up so that the security could be activated remotely. They must have figured out something was wrong, and now it's locked up tighter than the old Fort Knox. Unless you enter the correct password in three tries, it locks permanently," he explained, glaring at the PADD in his hands.

"It looks like we will be working together on cracking this tomorrow, Captain," Spock told him taking the PADD when Jim handed it to him. "I believe that between us we should be able to figure out how to bypass the security," he added after looking over what Jim had found. "Disabling the GPS will be the first priority, I believe."

"Ok people, let's head for bed and try and get some sleep. I have a feeling that tomorrow will be a long and busy day," Pike said a minute later. "Jim, give me that PADD, I want to be sure that there's no chance of this bastard slithering out if this because you got itchy. Spock, go get some rest, you've more than earned it."

As Martin placed calls to Carrannelli, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov, the others started getting ready to find their beds. McCoy carried Joanna up, still growling under his breath slightly at the nerve of someone threatening his girl.

"Leonard, do you want me to help you get her changed?" Winona asked as they reach the top of the stairs.

"I wouldn't mind it a bit, Winona," he replied. "Can y'all open the door?" he asked her, suddenly realizing he didn't have a free hand. Winona chuckled softly as she opened the door and followed them in the room.

Jim paused as he returned from the bathroom, suddenly remembering about Scotty's snoring.

"Spock, do you want a pair of earplugs?" he asked rummaging around in his bag of toiletries. "Scotty's right across the hall and I know your hearing's better than mine."

"Thank you for your consideration, Captain. I do not believe I will need them, however if you will leave a pair out in case my initial assessment is inaccurate, I would appreciate it," Spock replied as he finished lighting the small fire pot in the corner. "I hope the light will not disturb you, Captain. I can hang a blanket over the chair if that is the case."

"Don't worry about it, Spock. It's almost like a mini campfire, so it won't bother me," Jim replied, not letting his friend's sudden formality bother him. From what Bones had described about his reaction earlier it was most likely a combination of embarrassment and wariness on Spock's part until he was sure of both his own and everyone's reactions to his loss of control. "Night Spock, and uh good meditating? Sorry, pleasant dreams didn't seem appropriate," he added climbing into bed as Spock finished settling in front of the fire pot.

"Pleasant dreams, Ca- Jim," Spock replied absently a short time later.

A few hours later Spock briefly broke his meditation to refill the incense in his fire pot, as he moved back to his seat the muffled sound of Scotty's snoring briefly got louder, going back to its former level at the sound of a door shutting with slightly more force than 3:00 am demanded. Intrigued Spock stood, cracked open his door, and looked out in time to see Rhymer heading towards the staircase carrying a pillow and blanket. Puzzled, he turned towards Jim's bed but stopped himself. He knew that both of them needed sleep and rest to be able to figure out the PADD tomorrow so he pushed his questions to the back of his mind and returned to his meditation.

The next morning as they met in the kitchen to fix breakfast everyone seemed calmer and rested, until Rhymer wandered in. Winona took one look at the dark circles under the attorney's eyes and poured him a large cup of coffee.

"What happened, Rhymer?" she asked as he took a long drink.

Rhymer sighed and shot a glare at the crew that were there, before replying "I didn't get to sleep last night until I'd moved down stairs at around 3am because of Mr. Scott's snoring," he growled before draining his cup.

"Jim, why didn't you remember about that and do something about it?" Winona demanded, turning to glare at her son.

"Uh, I had other things on my mind, Mom," Jim replied, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry Rhymer, we'd gotten used to his snoring in the back ground at Mom's and I don't think any of us really realized that you'd ended up sharing a room with him," he explained apologetically.

"So it wasn't a prank like you're so well known for?" Rhymer asked looking a bit relieved as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

"Nope, but it would be a pretty good one, or at least a punishment," Jim said with a grin, going back to mixing the batter for French toast.

"Jim, you are _not_ using that as a punishment, at least as long as I'm CMO on the ship," McCoy growled at Jim.

"Hey, I was joking, Bones, calm down. We'll see about finding you another bed tonight, Rhymer. So don't worry about it," Jim said still smirking at the thought of listening to Scotty's snoring being a punishment. "Admiral, are there any regs that say we can't record him and use it against some of the renegades and idiots we deal with out there?"

"Not specifically I don't think, Jim, but I'm not sure I'd want to try it to find out," Pike replied, chuckling at the idea of using snoring to win a battle. "Though with your luck who knows," he added, remembering some of the unorthodox methods that had worked for this crew.

"Well I'll keep it in mind for future reference then," Jim replied with a grin.

"I am not entirely certain how snoring, even Mr. Scott's, could be deemed a weapon," Spock said, looking up from the fruit he was slicing for Uhura to put in her fruit salad.

"It's more of a psychological weapon, Spock. Can you imagine havin' to listen to Scotty's snorin' played on a loop over an intercom for hours, with no way to turn it off?" McCoy replied from the stove where he was stirring a pot of grits.

"I believe I understand, Doctor. I cannot think that would be a pleasant fate for any being," Spock replied, with a Vulcan smile at the thought.

Once everyone was down stairs they quickly finished cooking and ate at the large kitchen table. The table wasn't actually big enough for the whole group but with Lewis, who was finishing his shift, and Carrannelli, who was just starting his, sitting at the security station in the kitchen they managed fairly well.

After cleaning up, the ladies, along with Joanna, finished getting ready to go shopping. As they waited for them, McCoy pulled Jim aside.

"Look, Jim, let me know what you find. I need to know who this bastard is," he told Jim quietly.

"I will, Bones, as soon as we get a name. Just promise me that you won't go off half cocked when we do," Jim replied with a worried look at his friend. "If you need to do something I'll spar with you, hell I'll probably need to blow off steam as much as you," he added laying a hand on Bones' shoulder.

"Alright, Jim," McCoy replied as the ladies and Lewis joined them by the door. Lewis would be going with them to act as security; he was as alert as the rest of them, even after a sleepless night, courtesy of a mild stimulant from McCoy.

After they left, Jim turned to the others, "Ok guys let's get this bastard," he said as he headed for the office.

"Just a minute, Jim," Pike said. "We'd better cover all our bases with this, so before we start we need to call at least Captain, - oh what's her name?-"

"Logan," Rhymer supplied.

Logan, and possibly the Atlanta DA's office to let Mr. Burger know what's going on, they may want to have someone here to observe. Thanks John." Pike finished.

"It is a sound idea, Captain, I believe that we can finish preparing for all the possible problems in the time we wait," Spock added, seeing Jim's impatience at the delay as Rhymer headed for the comm. station in the office.

"What are you talking about, Spock?" Jim asked.

"I realized last night that there was a small probability that our resources here might prove insufficient. I propose contacting the _Enterprise, _specifically Lt Cmdr Giotto and having any of our files that might be of assistance sent to our location," Spock explained.

"Alright, Spock, it's a good idea. Guys make a list of any hacking, password location, decryption, or bypassing programs you have on the ship, or at HQ, Admiral, and I'll talk to Giotto about sending them here," Jim said, passing a PADD around. Within five minutes he had the rather impressive list, and was waiting for Rhymer to finish his calls.

When Rhymer stepped out of the office Jim ducked passed him with a muttered apology. "What was that all about, Chris?" Rhymer asked, glancing back into the office as he joined the others in the library.

"Jim's making a call to Sam Giotto and having him send some files that might make it easier to get around the security on Joanna's PADD," Pike replied, shifting slightly in his seat. "So what did you find out?"

"Both Captain Logan and ADA Burger are on their way over to 'observe'. They should be here in twenty minutes or so, they think," Rhymer replied sitting down in the chair opposite Pike.

"Morning, Chief. I'm sorry to call so early," Jim said when Giotto picked up, looking like he was on his way out the door, with a small satchel over his shoulder.

"You just caught me, Captain. What can I do for you?" Giotto replied easily, shifting the satchel strap slightly.

"I'm sending you a list of files we need you to send us, Chief," Jim replied as he hit the send button on his PADD. "We, well Spock, found out that someone threatened Joanna. But everything's on a PADD that suddenly has some pretty tight security on it. So we need all the hacking and password programs we can get. These are just the ones that those of us here have, and that's not all of us. Bones, Chapel, and Uhura are out with my mom and Joanna shopping right now," Jim explained and watched Giotto's eyes flare with anger for a moment before becoming calculating as he read over the list.

"Captain, I've got a few that might help too, if you don't mind," he said, a definite hint of steel in his voice.

"Add whatever you think might help. If you want, I think we can patch you in on the mobile screen Martin found in the security room," Jim offered, once again glad that Giotto was on his side when he got that look in his eyes.

"Not unless you hit a wall, Sir. This is Martin's gig, and I trust him to act_ appropriately_ about whatever you find," Giotto replied, the subtle emphasis was not lost on Jim. Kids were one of the Chief's few hang-ups that Jim knew about; he hid it well but after two years Jim was getting better at reading him, though his Chief of Security was nearly as hard to read as Spock at times.

"Understood, Chief; we'll keep you informed on what we find," Jim assured him. "I know it's serious, Spock just about lost it after he did a mind meld with Joanna to get the info. Turns out _Donavan_'_s_ been threatening JoJo, for months, claiming that she wouldn't see Bones again if anything stopped the wedding or him adopting her. Between that information and whatever he saw of her night terrors he almost reacted like two years ago on the bridge," Jim explained grimly. Giotto nodded, he hadn't seen the fight but he'd heard about it from Martin during his first report after Giotto woke up in the Medbay on the way back to Earth.

As Giotto accessed the files, he filled Jim in on the state of the ship and the crew. Everything was running smoothly and so far the media hadn't bothered them, though Giotto had heard from some friends of his in Base Security, that there had been a few reporters 'escorted' off Starfleet grounds late yesterday afternoon.

Ten minutes later they signed off and Jim looked over the files, still impressed that his friends and crew even had some of them at all.

"Alright guys, I've got the files. Martin, the Chief added a few of his own when he heard what was going on, so I'll give them to you," Jim said sending the files to the others' PADDs as the gate buzzer sounded.

ADA Burger was in his forties, though the lines in his face made him seem older and lent a cragginess that added a measure of sternness to the reserved manner that was reflected in his dark eyes. "Good morning everyone," he said as he followed Captain Logan into the library.

"I'm glad you made it so quickly, and I'm sorry we had to get you out on a Sunday," Rhymer replied standing up and shaking their hands and quickly introduced Pike and the _Enterprise _crew.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you gentlemen," Burger replied shaking hands with the humans and exchanging nods with Spock. "These cases are a challenge in themselves so I was already almost to my office when you called," he explained as Logan nodded beside him.

"I think I can say the same thing, Mr. Burger. And John's talked about the help you've given him with this case," Pike said leading the way into the dining room.

"Is this the PADD?" Burger asked as they settled around the table, eyeing the device curiously.

"Yes, as far as we can tell from the passive scans we've performed it has been disabled from monitoring us either through video or audio," Spock replied.

"How did you manage to do that?" Logan inquired looking over Burger's shoulder at the PADD curiously, particularly at the stylus sticking out of the camera and the slightly damaged case where the mic had been.

"Well when I was told it might be monitoring us, I stuck the stylus in the mic and camera. Then I couldn't get the stylus out without possibly damaging the whole thing," Jim explained with a shrug. "Dr McCoy and Joanna are family as far as I'm concerned and it was easier than trying to isolate the thing," he finished as the others murmured their agreement.

"Alright let's get to work, everyone," Pike reminded them. "We can continue this conversation while we're finding this bastard." Within a few minutes they were busy running programs, talk about the PADD interspersed with stories from the ship.

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McCoy was a bit out of sorts at getting dragged on the shopping trip while the others worked out who was behind the mess. 'It could be worse, they could be clothes shoppin',' he reminded himself, watching Winona showing his daughter about yarns and needles. Joanna would glance back at him every few minutes to make sure he was still there and each time it made his heart clench a bit that she thought that he'd disappear on her.

McCoy couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a craft store, probably not since he was a kid with his Grandmother. There were craft items from at least six different planets that he could recognize and probably stuff from at least that many he didn't recognize in their disassembled state. So he found it slightly more interesting than he normally would have but it was still shopping.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Winona sent Lewis to find Uhura and Christine. 'Thank God, this is almost over,' he thought as they headed for the checkout.

As they finished loading their bags in the car, McCoy's communicator chimed. "M-Leonard," he answered it, remembering at the last second not to use his last name as Winona shut the back hatch.

"_Bones, we've got some new info you need to know, so get back here,"_ Jim said a bit too quickly, making McCoy suspicious. Jim only talked that fast when he was trying to distract someone.

"What about the bastard's name, Jim?" McCoy snarled back, baffled by Jim's attitude.

"_Yeah we got it, but this is more important," _Jim replied sounding both tense and nervous. _"Bones trust me, please. Rhymer got the last of his reports back; and even I wasn't expecting this, but it's all connected," _he added, his frustration breaking through.

"Jim, you damn well better be ready to explain that, or you sure as hell won't enjoy your next visit to Medbay," McCoy growled back, still annoyed but realizing that if Rhymer's information was connected somehow then it was no wonder Jim was acting jumpy and frustrated.

"_I know Bones, you say that all the time. I'll see you when you get back," _Jim said, relieved that his friend had given in as easily as he had.

"You bet you will, Jim," McCoy replied rolling his eyes slightly Jim's statement.

"_Drive safe, K-Jim out."_

"Get in Leonard, the sooner we get there the sooner we find out what's going on," Winona said, nudging him towards the car door.

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. With Jim actin' the way he is, 'the shit's 'bout to hit the fan', is the best description of what's gonna happen next," he said shaking his head. "I've had plenty of experience with that particular phenomenon, and it's never good."

"I don't imagine it is, Jim's like George, in that he rarely looks before he leaps, when something's important to him," Winona assured him with a slightly sad smile as they got in.

"That is what worries me whenever the Kid's off the ship," McCoy replied dryly, as Lewis headed back to the house.

Jim was waiting on the porch as they pulled up. "Hey guys," he called as they got out.

"Uncle Jim, Nana got me some yarn, and I'm gonna make you somethin'," Joanna called as she hurried over to hug him.

"Thank you ahead of time, JoJo," Jim replied following her back to the car to help unload the bags. "Bones, Rhymer says he needs to talk with you in the sun room," he added both as a reminder and so Joanna wouldn't freak out when he wasn't right there.

"I'll be right there as soon as we get all this in the house," McCoy replied.

Once the bags were inside and sorted, Winona settled on the couch and started giving Joanna her first knitting lesson while Christine and Uhura looked through what they had before starting on their own projects.

"Jo, I'll be in the sun room if y'all need me," McCoy said smiling at the rapt expression on her face as she listened to Winona's explanation of knitting. It looked like trying to tie two straight pieces of metal together in the dark to him.

"Ok, Daddy, I'll see ya soon," Joanna replied giving him a quick smile before turning back to her lesson.

"Jim you'd better start explainin' how a threat against Jo and Rhymer's final report are connected. And why the name of the bastard isn't important anymore," McCoy growled as they walked through the second set of doors and into the slightly humid sunroom.

"Calm down, Bones, please. It isn't important because the person who sent the message is the same one named in the report," Jim said calmly.

"What?" McCoy bellowed in surprise.

"Jim is correct, Doctor," Spock said, drawing McCoy's attention to the fact that the rest of the group was waiting for them. "We managed to break the security on the PADD and traced the source of the communication that terrified Joanna. At the same time Lt Cmdr Rhymer received the final report from his contact that contained the connection with the same individual responsible for her fright," he continued evenly though McCoy could hear the slight tension in his tone.

"Here, McCoy read this," Pike said coming forward and handing over a PADD. McCoy quickly read through it his scowl darkening the farther he read.

"That goddamn son of a bitch!" he yelled reflexively drawing back to throw the PADD. Jim grabbed it before he could launch it through the nearest window but his friend didn't seem to notice as he continued his rant against the parentage, personal habits, and morals of the man responsible.

Jim and most of the crew took the doctor's outburst in stride, though some of his more creative epithets caused a few surprised looks and made Chekov blush. Spock on the other hand was shocked at the sheer volume of the doctor's vocabulary; he'd been on the receiving end of more than one of the doctor's rants over the last two years and thought that he'd heard the whole of his supply of epithets and insults. Now it appeared that not only had he underestimated the doctor's vocabulary, but he also seemed to have misunderstood the motive behind many of the outbursts he'd been the target of. There had never been any of the sheer vindictiveness in the doctor's tone that there was in his current rant when he insulted Spock. Spock's eyebrows rose in shock at the physically impossible description of the manner of the subject of his rage's conception, which the Doctor delivered in accented but understandable Andorian. Jim just chuckled at the image that the phrase caused to cross his mind, and leaned closer to Spock

"Didn't know he could do that?" he asked softly, taking in Spock's expression.

"I did not, Captain. It also appears that I have been in error as to his motives in his frequent insults towards myself, if this demonstration is any indicator," Spock replied.

"He's just messing with you, Spock. If he didn't like you he wouldn't do it," Jim said. "It's the way he deals with worry."

"Facinating."

"Isn't it," Jim said before raising his voice. "Bones, we get the idea. I think we need to move on to what we're gonna do about the bastard, instead of insulting him in as many languages as we know. If you want to do that, let me call Uhura in, she'll have you beat."

"Damnit, Jim, this is my daughter we're talkin' 'bout here," McCoy snarled, taking a deep breath.

"We know, McCoy. That's why we're here, to figure out how we're going to handle this," Pike replied. While he didn't have any kids of his own, after both being captain and working at the Academy, he could understand McCoy's fury.

"That was an interesting display, Doctor," Burger said with a smile as McCoy sat down. "ADA William Burger," he added offering his hand.

"Good to meet you," McCoy replied as they shook hands, taking a quick measure of the man. Burger was roughly Rhymer's age and height, dark haired and eyed, with a stern appearance and an assessing look in his eyes. For some reason, he reminded McCoy of an old bulldog that his grandfather had had when he was a kid. Once that dog had got a hold of something you'd had an awful time getting him to turn it loose.

The next hour was spent going over the aspects of the case that had changed with the new evidence, and how to proceed. It was quickly decided to arrest him quietly and keep him incommunicado until the trial, as well as to outfit him with surveillance equipment just in case he tried anything. As Captain Logan was about to leave to oversee the arrest, Winona called them to lunch.

Lunch turned out to be a bit of a working meal, since Captain Logan's and Mr. Burger's PADDs kept going off with reports and info on the case. Talk was kept off the trials because of Joanna, who was quieter than normal, but she was still involved in the conversations about knitting with Winona and Uhura.

Before they left, Logan pulled McCoy aside. "I wanted to let you know that you're doin' a wonderful job with her, Doctor. I was a bit surprised at how the others interacted with her at first, but I can see how much of a family y'all are after today. That in and of itself is an achievement, makin' so many different personalities into so close a group, but it will only help you both in the long run," she said. "You keep doin' what you're doin'."

"I plan on it, Captain," McCoy assured her with a glance back at Joanna already sitting in the living room messing with her knitting needles. "She's the only good thing I've got from before I joined Starfleet."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**As always anyone you recognise isn't mine. Thank you to everyone still reading this story. I'm so sorry but Life has gotten away from me the last couple months.

As always Thank you to Bookdragon01 for beta-ing this as well as surprising me with her speed; as well as a shout to my friend Susan for helping me keep my 'southern-isms' straight. Also thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I know I need to say it more often but I do love and appreciate the reviews that you leave. Hopefully the next chapter will cooperate so I won't make you wait so long.

take care

Chaoticmom

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><p>McCoy blinked up at the ceiling of the miniature gym over the garage trying to figure out how many times he'd ended up there over the course of the last hour and a half, as he spit out his mouth guard.<p>

"Bones are you ok?" Jim's worried voice brought him back to the present with a jolt.

"Yeah, Jim, just let me catch my breath," he replied slowly sitting up and gently shaking his head to try and clear it as Jim shifted back to give him room. "What did you hit me with, Kid? I feel like I just got off one of those old spinnin' carnival rides."

"Sorry, Bones, when you tried to hit me that last time- well I tried something Spock showed me a few weeks ago and threw you over my shoulder. I- I wasn't trying to do it so hard though," Jim replied pulling off his padded helmet, worry clearly visible on his face.

"I'll live, Jim. Now how 'bout helpin' me up and the both of us headin' in to get cleaned up before dinner. I think we worked up an appetite," McCoy suggested as he held out his hand for Jim to grab.

As soon as Jim took his hand McCoy yanked, pulling his friend onto the mat in a heap next to him. "God Bones, I said I was sorry," Jim groaned as he sat up and glared at McCoy.

"You're not that hurt so quit bein' an infant. And ya left yourself wide open for that one," McCoy replied smirking as he stood up and offered Jim a hand.

"I oughtta give you a taste of your own medicine, Bones, but I won't, this time," Jim said grinning as he took the Doctor's hand. "Besides if you're any indication, we both need to do something about the bruises before tomorrow." Jim just laughed at the glare McCoy sent him as they removed their protective padding.

"Jim, do you think we can get it to stick, all the charges?" McCoy asked seriously a few minutes later as they walked back to the house.

"I think so; we've got at least as much evidence against them as Mom did against Frank," Jim reminded him. "There's not a lot he can do to wriggle out of the evidence. I mean how do you explain away the payments and timing? The paper trail, as they used to say, leads right back to him. The message to JoJo is just icing on the cake, especially her reaction to it."

"I know, but for some reason that message is still botherin' me," McCoy said as they stepped inside the house. "Even knowin' what it was, I still can hardly believe anyone would send that to a child and not expect them to be upset."

"At least it wasn't a death threat like we all thought after what Spock saw in her nightmares. I agree with you, but from what you've said he's an arrogant ass, so in a way I'm not surprised he didn't think of that. You've said that you kept JoJo away the first time; does she know how bad it could get? I know Rhymer's gone over what's going to happen, but-," Jim trailed off shooting Bones a worried look.

"I know and as soon as we finish changin' I'm gonna have a talk with her about it. I've mentioned a few times that she shouldn't believe everythin' that might be said but with this I don't think it'll be enough. I should have sat her down and spelled it out before we came back here but-" McCoy trailed off with a sigh, as they climbed the stairs.

"Yeah, I think she knows it could be bad but you need to make sure she does. I don't understand most of that psychology stuff you took but you probably have a better chance of explaining it then the rest of us," Jim tried to reassure him. "I'll see you shortly, Bones," he added heading for his room to get ready for his shower.

McCoy groaned as he pulled off his shirt. Even with the pads he felt almost like he'd been in a real fight, and was grateful that Jim had worked the edge off his own temper with Martin before he got there. McCoy was a decent fighter but he was definitely not up to Jim's level, and Jim knew it, and took it easy on him, pushing his abilities just enough. But today they were both too upset to totally follow their normal routine, and McCoy wasn't too surprised to see the bruises forming on his torso and arms in the mirror. The one on his left cheek was a bit of a surprise though, he couldn't remember getting hit there, but the one he was expecting to see on his jaw wasn't, so it was even he figured, grabbing his stuff and heading to grab a quick shower.

McCoy was slipping his arms into his shirt when there was a knock on his door. "Hey, Bones, you decent?" Jim called, turning the knob but keeping the door shut.

"Yeah, Jim, not like it'd stop you if I said no. Get your butt in here," he called back leaving his shirt unbuttoned and opening his medkit.

"Wow Bones, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to go at you _that_ hard," Jim said, catching sight of the bruises on his friend's torso as he turned around.

"Don't sweat it, Kid. You ought to know I've had worse," Bones replied picking up his tricorder. "Now get the shirt off so I can see what I managed to do to you," he said shooting Jim a smirk at the put upon expression on the younger man's face as he pulled his shirt over his head with a groan. There were more bruises than he'd thought there'd be, even given the slightly brutal nature of their sparring session. "Relax, Jim. You know this works better when ya aren't stiff as a board on me," Bones reminded Jim as he started to tense up while the tricorder started reporting injuries.

"Yeah, try telling the slight case of whatever-phobia that _you_ diagnosed me with that," Jim muttered as he consciously tried to relax his tensed muscles.

"It's Opiophobia, Jim. And I never said it was slight. As I recall I said it had the possibility of bein' just slightly short of fatal. Now hold still you infant so I don't end up hitting somethin' that doesn't need it," Bones groused back as he switched to the dermal regenerator.

Five minutes later they split up at the foot of the stairs, Jim going to see what was going on with dinner and brief his Mom and the ladies on what happened that morning; and McCoy to try and talk to Joanna about tomorrow.

"I hate to interrupt, ladies, but when you get to an easy stoppin' spot I need to borrow Jo," McCoy said stepping into the living room.

"Of course Leonard," Winona replied with a glance at the clock. "We're just finishing up a row, and I need to check in on dinner anyway. Very good, Honey, now put the point guards on and we'll work on it some more after dinner," she said as Joanna finished and proudly held up her needle.

"Looks good, Jo," McCoy said, even if it really didn't look like much at the moment. He figured every parent had told that white lie at some point especially when they weren't sure what their child was making.

"Thank you. What do you need me for Daddy?" Joanna asked as she carefully slid the needles into a bag and stood up.

"Jim reminded me that I needed to talk to you 'bout somethin', Jo," McCoy replied gently as Joanna walked over and took his hand.

"Okay Daddy, I'm not in trouble am I?" she asked softly.

"No Jo, ya aren't in trouble, I promise," he replied as they headed for the sun room.

"Then what?" she asked looking up at him curiously.

"Jim reminded me that even though we've talked with you about the way a court works, things tend to change when you add people to the mix," McCoy replied as they entered the sun room.

"How does somethin' that's set, like Mr. Rhymer says the court is, change just 'cuz you have people in it? Aren't people the ones that make it work?" Joanna asked sitting next to her dad on one of the wicker couches.

"People make the laws, yes. But what happens a lot of the time is you have people who all think they're point of view is the right one. And a lot of times they'll let their personal agendas, what they want to happen, get in the way of the truth. I want you to be aware of that fact before tomorrow, Darlin'," McCoy said watching the look of confusion slightly disappear on Joanna's face.

"I'm not sure I understand, Daddy," she said.

McCoy sighed, "Jo, remember when we said that some of the people lied durin' the divorce hearin'?"

"Yeah, are they gonna try and do it again?" Joanna asked slipping her hand back in his.

"We're not sure if they will or not but if they do things could get nasty. I want you to be prepared in case your Mama's lawyer tries somethin' and starts spoutin' off a load of crap this week, Jo. The only thing I was grateful to your Mama 'bout last time was the fact that she kept you at home other than when the judge talked to you. But this time you're older and, as much as I don't like it, I have to agree with Jim, you deserve to know what's goin' on, even if it's bad," McCoy explained giving Joanna a reassuring hug.

"You won't be mad if I want to leave for a while will ya?" Joanna asked softly.

"No, Darlin', I won't. In fact I might end up sendin' you out if it's somethin' that you don't need to hear 'bout right now," McCoy said, Jocelyn's infidelity immediately coming to mind as something he wasn't ready for Joanna to know about, at least not like this. "As long as they're not next on the list of witnesses, anyone can take you and bring you back when you're ready or the topic changes, alright?"

"Like Mr. Monty offered when we were talkin' in Admiral Chris's office?" Joanna asked brightening.

"Yes, and I'm pretty sure if you asked Chekov will bring the chess set along too," McCoy said with a small smile as Joanna relaxed against him.

"I know he would, Daddy. Pavel says I'm one of the best students he's had," Joanna responded with a giggle. "What else could happen, Daddy?" she asked sobering.

"There's a lot of crap that was said five years ago that they might try to bring back up; a lot of it was lies but some of it was just exaggerated. Like how much I drink, or how much I work. This time they have to prove that I'm still doin' it. The work will be the biggest problem we have," he explained seriously.

"Why's that?"

"Well I do tend to end up sleepin' in my office a lot. Some times more than I actually sleep in my own bed," McCoy said. "Mostly that's cause Jim or one of the others is hurt and there, or I just doze off tryin' to get my paperwork finished. I haven't had any reason not to do it."

"And havin' me will keep ya from doin' that, right?" Joanna asked with a smile.

"It sure will, Jo. There's not much incentive in goin' back to empty quarters," McCoy said gently tugging her braid.

As Winona entered the kitchen she spotted Jim and the others sitting around the table. "Ok, Jim, what did you find?" she demanded. After lunch he'd disappeared with Martin out to the gym over the garage, and none of the others would talk as long as there was a chance Joanna would overhear.

Jim cringed slightly but answered, "I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, Mom, but we didn't want JoJo to overhear that we found out the person who send her the message is the same person who orchestrated Bones' divorce."

"What, are you talking about, Kirk?" Uhura asked. "I thought that he caught his ex-wife cheating."

"He did. We don't have all the facts yet, Lieutenant, but we do have proof that several witnesses were paid off and that the judge and at least one of the attorneys were bribed during the divorce trial. The payments all came from Beauregard Darnell's accounts," Rhymer explained.

Uhura muttered something vicious under her breath, thumping her coffee cup down on the table harder than strictly necessary. "Do you know if that daughter of his was in on it or not?" she snarled a moment later as Spock covered her free hand with his.

"That's one of the things we don't know for certain. It looks like she might have known some of it but how much…," Rhymer trailed off with a shrug.

"I dearly hope this wasn't planned from the moment she started datin' Leo," Christine added frowning at the thought.

"Ok, everyone, to start at the beginning, we were making progress on cracking the PADD and Rhymer's PADD lit up," Jim started explaining. "It was one of the reports he'd been waiting for. Financial wasn't it?"

"Yes, Captain. It was a detailed financial report on Beauregard Darnell dating back to before Dr McCoy's marriage; that's why it took so long to compile," Rhymer said picking up the account of that morning's events. "What it revealed was that Mr. Darnell had been in financial straits off and on since before his daughter's marriage. We already knew that. However this showed the names of the recipients of several large payments just before and after the divorce was final, all either witnesses or the officials involved with the case, as well as the transfer of credits from his daughter that made those payments possible. I'd just handed the information to Admiral Pike when Commander Spock and Captain Kirk managed to disable the security on Joanna's PADD. After that, finding and tracing the message was fairly straight forward. The message was sent by a Mr. Jackson St Croix, who happens to be a close friend and associate of Mr. Darnell's."

"Okay, what does he have to do with this? Other than his being friends with Joanna's Grandfather," Winona asked looking puzzled.

"I must admit that there was considerable confusion as to what Mr. St Croix's involvement was, until I scanned the message again and discovered that the message to Joanna was merely pasted onto the page that was sent. Because of the inept way it was constructed, the message still contained enough evidence, for the Captain and I to trace it back to its origin- an account belonging to Beauregard Darnell," Spock explained unable to completely hide his disgust at the turn of events.

"That fuckin' snake in the grass. To do that to family, not to mention a child that has got to be jus' 'bout the worst damn thing I've evah heard of," Christine declared, her southern accent thickening as she slammed her palm against the counter. "That man oughtta be covehed in pork drippins, strung up by his balls ovah a bayou and left for th' gators or what evah else comes along."

The rest of the crew took that one in stride, as they were thinking along the same lines. Though Spock seemed to be having a bit of trouble trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"Lieutenant, what purpose would that serve?" he asked looking at her.

"Spock, it's like Baba threatening to transport you into a lion's den if you ever hurt me," Uhura interjected shooting Christine a smile. "I think the lions would be every bit as appropriate in this case," she added, and Spock nodded in understanding.

"I take it an illogical desire that, though they are now extinct, he discover a le-matya in his room would serve the same purpose, am I correct?" Spock asked causing Uhura to chuckle as most of the group look blankly at Spock.

"A le-matya was a poisonous wild animal from Vulcan," Spock explained. "They were vicious animals who often attacked kahs-wan travelers in the L-langon Mountains and only shortly before I enlisted was an antidote for their poison found."

"I know we all can think of something we'd like to see happen to Darnell, but I think we're getting rather off the subject," Pike reminded them as he poured a cup of coffee. "As of right now Captain Logan has a warrant out for his arrest and has probably picked him up by now. He'll be kept incommunicado until the hearing so he can't tip Jocelyn off as to what's going on. St Croix is being picked up for questioning as well; Mr. Burger wants to figure out what his real connection to everything is."

"I don't really think he's all that involved, he made too many stupid mistakes in sending that message," Jim added glancing at the group. "JoJo would have done a better job of it than he did."

"I agree vith you, Keptin, I have never seen such a bad job of cut and paste," Chekov added. "Eizher he did not know vhat he vas doing, vich is next to impossible, or else zhat he might have vanted somevone to trace zhe message back."

"We can continue this as we work, everyone," Winona said calmly glancing at the clock. "What do you think of just doing comfort food tonight? I think we could all use it."

"Sounds good, Mom," Jim replied as the rest nodded.

"Winona, exactly what is your definition of 'comfort food'?" Spock asked.

"Something that makes you feel better after a really bad or stressful day," she replied walking over to the security desk to pick up a pad and pencil. "Is there anything that Leonard likes especially?" she asked looking around the group.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Winona, I've got a pretty good idea and I'm sure Kirk will help me if I get stuck," Christine replied with a smile and glance at Jim as she sorted through a stack of bowls in one of the cupboards.

"Sure Christine, but I'm going to be making my own dish too," Jim said as he headed for the pantry.

"Hey, can you fill that 'bout a third full of flour while you're in there?" she asked tossing Jim a large bowl as she opened the refrigeration unit.

"Will do. Need anything else?" Jim shot back grinning as he tossed the bowl between his hands like a basket ball.

"Nope, thanks though," Christine replied placing packages of chicken and tofu on the counter by the spice rack as everyone else started getting their ingredients together.

"Oh before I forget, and the Doc tries to kill me if someone gets hurt, everyone might want to avoid the back right corner of the garden after dinner, at least until I've had a chance to clean it up," Sulu admitted looking bit sheepish as he passed Uhura a knife and picking one himself.

"What did you do, Sulu?" Pike asked looking at the young pilot curiously as he paused in the doorway to the freezer.

"Well I went out to blow off some steam by working on some fencing forms back there. I, uh, got a bit carried away and accidently pruned some of the large bushes," Sulu admitted, embarrassed. "I repaired most of the damage but I didn't have time to get all the branches picked up."

"I'll help you with that after dinner, Sulu," Martin offered looking up from the tomato he was doing his best not to mutilate with his knife.

"Thanks, Martin, I appreciate the offer."

The next fifteen minutes were taken up with requests for utensils, ingredients and apologies for getting in each other's way as they got their different dishes started. Winona took pity on Martin and finished cutting his tomatoes, before he ended up with nothing but pulp, before starting her own dish. Once things were underway talk returned to the happenings of the morning and what effect they would have on the trial.

After dinner and clean up Jim went with Martin to help Sulu pick up the branches as everyone else began gathering in the living room. When Jim walked in fifteen minutes later, his Mom and Joanna were settled on one end of the couch with their knitting with Bones on the other, engrossed in what he figured was a medical journal on his PADD. Scotty was equally engrossed in his own PADD in one of the chairs by the empty old fashioned fire place. Spock looked to be refereeing a chess game between Chekov and Pike, and Sulu was watching. Rhymer had excused himself to go to bed early; he wanted to make sure he got as much sleep as possible. Uhura looked like she was helping Christine with a problem on the crocheting she was doing since her own crocheting was laying in her lap. Jim uneasily shifted the bag he was carrying and settled between his mom and Bones as Marin walked in carrying a PADD.

McCoy shifted slightly as Jim sat but didn't take his eyes off the article on interspecies fertility he was reading. It wasn't an article that he'd normally read this carefully, since it wasn't something that he'd ever had to deal with other than generally; but with Spock and Uhura getting married he figured that he'd better at least look into the subject.

Just as he was finishing the article a strand of blue yarn flipped onto his hand. "Watch it," he said quietly looking up and was surprised to see that it was Jim who was unrolling the yarn.

"Sorry, Bones, I was trying to pull a snarl out so I could untangle it," Jim replied sheepishly picking up the tangle of yarn and deftly picking it apart.

McCoy watched in amazement as Jim eyed the pile of yarn in his lap, tied a slipknot, picked up an odd looking needle attached to a long cord of some kind and began to swiftly tie the yarn around it mumbling numbers under his breath.

McCoy waited until Jim paused to reposition the yarn before interrupting. "Jim, what in the Sam Hill are you doin'?"

Jim glanced up at his friend, "It's called casting on, Bones. It's how you start a knitting project," he answered matter-of-factly before continuing.

"Since when have you known how to knit?" McCoy asked drawing everyone's attention.

"You can knit?" Christine asked surprised.

Jim looked around at his friends wondering why they looked so surprised at the idea. "Yeah, I learned when I was thirteen. I haven't done it all that time though, just really the last five years," he finished with an embarrassed shrug.

"How'd you manage at the Academy without me seein' ya," McCoy asked trying to figure out how he'd missed his friend's hobby with as little space as they'd had in their dorm room.

"Easy, I had your schedule memorized, Bones. I always made sure I had everything put away before you got back or I'd go off and hide in one of the corners of the campus. I always made sure it was buried in the bottom of my bag so no one would see it if I had it with me," Jim replied with a shrug. "Now it's usually what I do when I can't sleep or work out or need a break from paperwork so I don't fall asleep doing it. I learned how from a girl that my Aunt Darcy had taught before she –died," Jim explained, they all noticed his hesitation but before anyone could ask about it Winona took up the explanation.

"Darcy was my sister; she and her family were killed on Tarsus IV. I was sent with the relief ships and took Jim along since there wasn't anyone to take care of him. Cassie had been a neighbor of Darcy's and she taught Jim and gave me a refresher course during the relief efforts."

"Figures there's be a girl in the mix somewhere," Uhura said with a teasing smile, trying to hide her surprise that Jim had been anywhere near the Tarsus Massacre, even if only its aftermath.

"Yeah, well it wasn't like that," Jim replied. "I ended up helping out with the group of refugee kids she was a part of, since there wasn't anything else I was allowed to do at thirteen," he explained with a slightly forced smile as he picked up the needle and started casting on again. "Cassie and I were the closest in age, so we ended up being friends." He was thankful that everyone let the subject of where and how he'd learned drop after that, though he was aware of their glances as he finished casting on and started knitting.

"So you're the one that Nana was gettin' the extra yarn for," Joanna said after a minute. "I asked her why she was gettin' so much and she said that it wasn't all for her, but she wouldn't tell me who."

"That's right JoJo, I got teased a lot after we got back when some of the other kids in Riverside saw me knitting so I've kept it a secret,"Jim replied smiling at Joanna.

"So what all have you made since you started again?" Joanna asked.

"Let's see, the first thing I made was a scarf for your Dad. I made a lot of scarves at the Academy and turned them into the Red Cross donation center. Otherwise it's mostly stuff for people I know. A few sweaters for Mom and some other things for friends; blankets, hats, that kinda stuff," Jim explained watching Joanna's eyes widen at the thought of all that work.

"You're the one that made everything, aren't you?" Uhura asked unexpectedly. "My throw, Spock's winter hat, Martin's gloves, all the stuff that we got with no name on the tags," she continued and was surprised to see Jim flush a bit in embarrassment.

"Yeah, that was me," Jim mumbled waiting for someone to say something. He wasn't expecting Pike to break the silence.

"I guess I have you to thank for those wool slipper socks I received about a month after you shipped out, Jim?" Pike asked with a smile as he moved one of his pawns.

"Yes, sir and you're welcome. I thought they might come in handy while you were stuck in that chair," Jim replied with a smile remembering how Pike had railed at being stuck in a wheel chair.

"That they did, especially after I was able to walk a bit. Those rehab center floors are freezing, and your socks were the only ones that actually kept my feet warm for more than five minutes," Pike said with a smile of his own even as Chekov put him in checkmate. "Damn, you're a good player, Chekov. Sulu, looks like you're up," he added standing up and moving to a chair on the other side of McCoy.

"So you're the one that raised all the ruckus 'bout puttin' carpet in rehab?" McCoy remarked with a knowing look at the Admiral. "I figured it had to be you."

"If you'd figured it out why ask, Bones?" Pike chuckled.

"Wanted to make sure it was you and not that idiot Samuels. That man came within a whisker of gettin' himself tossed out an airlock several times on the way back with all his whinin' and demands," McCoy replied scowling at the memory of Commander Samuels the prima donna of the Academy  
>Cartography department.<p>

"We were lucky that Archer grounded him or else who knows what someone would have done to him by now," Jim added thinking about the nuisance the man made of himself, insisting that Jim wasn't fit for command and demanding Spock take the position back, whenever either of them had come in the Medbay to check on Pike and the other injured.

"I think that the only reason that he made it back alive was that I started sedatin' him," Christine said with a grin. "It was either that or see most of us facin' assault charges for physically shuttin' him up." Samuels hadn't cared that the rest of them were worn out and grieving, just about his own comfort.

"I know Sam was grateful to you for that, Chapel," Pike told her smiling at the memory of Giotto's description of what he'd missed while unconscious. "Sam had almost worked out how to knock him out from across the Medbay without hitting anyone else, since he couldn't get up and do it. Of course he's hated Samuels since we had to transport the fusspot back to Earth from Teller ten years ago so it wasn't like Sam had to think too hard to come up with something."

The thought of calm collected Giotto methodically planning something like that while confined to bed with a dislocated hip and fractured femur, had everyone chuckling at the mental picture.

"I wish he'd actually tried whatever he was planning, it would have improved moral, even if it didn't work" McCoy commented dryly, bringing more chuckles. "Hell, he'd have gotten an ovation for it if it had." McCoy chuckled, thinking of some of Giotto's object lessons for the security officers that screwed up on the job. The Chief definitely had a slightly warped sense of the appropriate that McCoy both admired and had a healthy respect for.

"After hearing about Samuels' antics I put in a good word for you. I wasn't going to let you be saddled with him after everything you'd already been through," Pike said with a smile.

"I think I speak for everyone on the _Enterprise _when I say thank you Admiral," Jim said glancing around the room as most of the others nodded.

"I never believed that it was possible for a human to behave in such a manner knowing the state of those around him, as Commander Samuels did," Spock said glancing up from the chess match. "He had the audacity to attempt to demand that the Captain be thrown in the brig and I resume command, even after I informed him that I was not fit for duty."

"I think we all had at least one run in with that horse's ass. Y'all were lucky he's almost as bad outside a crisis as in one," McCoy reminded them shaking his head. "I had the distinct displeasure of havin' to deal with him a few times at the clinic, the man's a hypochondriac as well as a spoiled brat."

"You said it, Leo," Chapel agreed in disgust as everyone returned to their projects.

"Jo, Darlin', better head up and get ready for bed," McCoy said a few minutes later glancing at the clock on the wall.

"I wanna finish this row, Daddy, I'm almost done," Joanna said holding up her knitting to show that she did only have about a dozen stitches left.

"If you hurry, Jo you can finish before bed, how's that?" McCoy countered gently. "Don't forget the rest of us have to get turns in the bathrooms too."

"Ok, Daddy," Joanna sighed as she carefully put down her needles and headed for the stairs.

Once she was upstairs and out of ear shot McCoy turned to the group. "Any thoughts on how to keep her from panicking when she sees her Mama tomorrow?" he asked.

"I was considering the probability of instructing her in a light meditation routine that my mother often used during stressful situations," Spock explained thoughtfully. "I would be instructing her in the method and then checking her progress if necessary with a meld. We will be nearby tomorrow if she has difficulty, Doctor; though I do not foresee there being much need with our presence to keep her calm."

"That's probably true, she seems calmer with all of us around. But I don't think it would do any harm to teach her a bit of meditation, might actually come in handy for her," McCoy agreed. "We might want to head to bed soon in case last night was a fluke and she has a nightmare tonight."

"I do not believe that her nightmares will be as much of an issue as they were, Doctor," Spock said looking slightly uncomfortable.

"And why is that? Good God, man, what exactly did you do to her yesterday?" McCoy snapped looking both worried and incensed that Spock hadn't said anything until now.

"After I initially failed to retrieve the information concerning the PADD, I continued looking for the root of her earlier nightmares. In the process I discovered the frequency of them and before returning to the issue of convincing her to pass along the information concerning her night terrors I created a safe haven in her mind and linked it to her sleep state. As time was limited and I was concerned about becoming fatigued before I discovered everything I needed to, I used one of my own memories. Doctor, the memory I left will leave no ill effect for Joanna to deal with and will assist her mind in dealing with the memories as she will not be worn down by the fear of going to sleep," Spock explained quickly before McCoy could interrupt.

McCoy forced himself to relax reminding himself that Spock would be the last person to harm Joanna. No matter how much Spock's logical attitude sometimes bothered him, Spock was also one of the most honorable men he'd met so he made himself calm down before he continued. "So that was somethin' outta your mind that she was talkin' 'bout when she woke up? She mentioned sittin' watchin' a desert sunset with a fanged teddy bear." McCoy asked more calmly than anyone expected given the subject.

"Yes, the room she saw was one of the main rooms in my family home and the 'teddy bear' as you call it was our family Sehlat, I'Chaya," Spock confirmed. "As time passes the link between the memory and her sleep cycle will deteriorate and she will begin to have her own dreams again over approximately 2.58 months. It is only designed as a temporary buffer until her mind is ready to let go of what happened and focus on current events in her life. It is an ancient Vulcan technique to assist those who have lost a loved one unexpectedly or violently or who have endured violence themselves."

"You still should have said somethin' before now, Spock," McCoy growled him. "But thanks for doin' that for Jo."

"While thanks maybe illogical at this time, you are welcome, Doctor," Spock replied, making McCoy roll his eyes but he refused to be drawn into a debate on the merits of logic tonight.

"He's right, Spock, You should have said something at least to Rhymer about this," Pike added.

"You are correct, Admiral, I should have," Spock replied. "There was no real chance last night and again today events unfolded that caused this issue to seem less important than the ones we uncovered."

"At least we know about it before tomorrow morning. Don't forget to let Rhymer know about this first thing," Pike advised Spock as Joanna came back down in her pajamas.

"Of course, Admiral," Spock assured him as Chekov managed to put Sulu in check for the second time.

Slowly everyone finished up what they were doing, Chekov won the game which surprised no one, and began heading upstairs to get ready for bed and turned in. An hour later Carrannelli switched off the last light as he made a final sweep of the house before settling down in the security room for the nigh.

As he finished tucking Joanna in, Bones sent a quick prayer that Joanna wouldn't have any new nightmares to deal with after the trials as he climbed into bed and after one last look at Joanna closed his eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** I want to thank everyone who reviewed since my last chapter. You made me keep going when things weren't wanting to work out. As always thanks to Bookdragon01 for beta-ing this so quickly.

Finally I only own the ones you don't recognize. All our favorites still belong to Roddenbury, Abrams, and company; unfortunately.

Sorry about the typos, I some how ended up doing my final edits on an older copy. No clue why I didn't notice other than I was trying to make dinner as well as edit and load at the same time. This one's now right.

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><p>The next morning McCoy woke early and spent a few minutes just watching Joanna sleep. She was curled around the bear he'd given her for her first birthday and had kicked the covers most of the way off, but to have her sleeping peacefully across the room after everything that had happened was a miracle to him. He quietly got up and quickly gathered his things so hopefully he could beat most of the group into the shower. He took one last look at Joanna and hoped that she wouldn't disappear this morning before he left, pulling the door softly shut behind him.<p>

Ten minutes later he opened the door, chuckling at a comment from Uhura about Scotty's snoring to find Joanna's bed empty and no sign of her. He dropped his shower things on the table by the door, reminding himself to breathe as he began his own search starting with the closet. Not too surprisingly there was nothing there but his dress uniform and the dress that Winona had gotten her in Riverside. With a sigh he looked around the room trying to figure out where Joanna might have hidden this time. Remembering that Jim had found her under her bed, McCoy decided to check there next- no Joanna, just her battered bear laying half under the edge of the frame like it had fallen out of bed. That just left his bed.

As he knelt down to look the door opened, "Whatcha lookin' for Daddy?" Joanna asked, making him jump and just catch the top of his head on the frame. Joanna smiled as he swore under his breath, rubbing the injury.

"It's not funny, Jo," McCoy grumbled gently touching the slight swelling. "I thought you'd disappeared again."

"No, Daddy, I just had to use the bathroom and since you were in the one next door, I used the one by Uncle Jim and Mr. Spock's room. I'm sorry I worried you," she explained looking worried as she moved to stand beside him. "Want me to get ya somethin' for your head?"

"There's a bottle labeled 'Acetaminophen' in my medical bag. Don't bother the small yellow one labeled 'Jim' it's in the main one," he said getting up and picking up the stuff he dropped. As he set the bag of toiletries and his pajamas on the bed Joanna joined him, handing him the bottle. "Jo, I'm not mad at ya. It just scared me a bit when I came back and y'all weren't here," McCoy assured her, giving her a hug. "You better get dressed, if you're gonna help make breakfast," he reminded her, and watched his daughter rush for her duffle to find some clothes for breakfast.

"Excuse me, Daddy. Can ya tell Nana I'll be down in a minute?" she asked pointedly holding her clothes, waiting for him to leave.

"Sure will, Jo. See ya down stairs," McCoy said as he left. He managed not to chuckle at her expression until he was on the staircase. He flipped on his PADD and started scanning the news articles as he followed the faint scent of coffee towards the kitchen to take his pill and help with breakfast himself.

The sound of quiet voices reached McCoy just before he stepped into the room. Looking up he was slightly surprised to see that the early risers were Winona and Pike. Something about the sight of the two of them sharing an early morning cup of coffee made him pause a moment. It wasn't the sight of Winona that surprised him, he'd seen her in her robe often enough during their stay with her, it was the sight of Pike in a pair of pajama pants and an ancient Academy t-shirt that gave him pause. He'd never seen the man in anything other than a uniform, PT clothes, or medical gown. "Mornin'," he murmured as he made a bee line for the coffeepot, trying not to feel like he'd interrupted something important.

"Morning, Leonard. How was your night?" Winona asked with a smile as Bones finished filling his mug and turned around, leaning back against the counter.

"Slept alright, but gave myself a headache this morning with some help from Jo," he replied and popped two pills into his mouth before taking a sip of coffee.

"What happened?" Pike asked looking concerned.

"I came back from the shower and she wasn't in the room and the first thing I thought was that she disappeared again. I managed to brain myself on my bed frame when Jo came back in and surprised me," McCoy grumbled rubbing the top of his head gently. "It's not bad but it hurt like hell for a couple minutes," he admitted with a shrug.

"So where was she?" Winona asked trying not to laugh at his slightly disgruntled expression.

"She was in the other bathroom up there since I was in the one by our room."

Winona started chuckling as Jim walked in. "What's so funny?" he asked glancing between Bones' slightly grumpier than usual look and Pike grinning and trying not to laugh.

"Oh nothin' much, Kid. Your Mama decided that me brainin' myself because I thought Jo was missin' again was funny," McCoy deadpanned, watching the alarm shoot into Jim's face for a second. "She's fine, Jim. She wasn't in our room when I got back from takin' a shower and I panicked for a second. I was checkin' under my bed when Jo walked in and startled me," he explained before his friend could fly off the handle and organize a search.

"That's good," Jim said pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Not you getting hurt, Bones. So where was she?"

"The bathroom down by your room," Bones replied sitting down at the table with a sigh. "I left her gettin' dressed so she should be down in a couple minutes." He rolled his eyes at the shit eating grin on Jim's face as he sat down next to Winona, knowing that he'd be hearing about this morning for a while.

"You look a bit tired, sir," Bones said trying to get everyone's attention off him.

"I'm fine," Pike replied taking a sip of his coffee. "Just not used to having a roommate anymore."

"He doesn't snore, does he?" Jim asked grinning since Scotty's snoring had prompted Rhymer's swapping rooms and ending up on a pullout in Pike's room.

"No, just the fact of having someone else in the room with me at night," Pike explained. "Ask Bones or Chapel if you don't believe me. If there's noise in the room I might not wake up completely but I don't rest well."

"That's why I had Chapel slippin' you a mild sedative every night comin' back," McCoy added looking smug. Pike looked surprised at the admission but let it slide as Uhura and Joanna came in.

"Morning Joanna, Uhura," Pike greeted them, getting a slight smile out of Joanna as she hurried over to her dad, while Uhura made herself a cup of tea.

Once she had her tea, Uhura took the seat on the other side of Joanna. "So how is your head, Len?" she asked as Spock joined them sliding into the seat next to Uhura.

McCoy rolled his eyes and shot her a slightly dirty look. "Not you too, Uhura. Do I need to send out a memo that I'm fine?" McCoy grumbled at her. "My headache was goin' away nicely till everyone decided to keep carpin' on it, thank you very much."

Spock started to ask what they were talking about when Uhura stopped him by slipping her hand in his under the table. Feeling her amusement and concern through their bond as well as her touch, Spock passed the question to her through it.

_'**Len couldn't find Joanna this morning after his shower. While he was looking for her under his bed Joanna came in and managed to startled him enough that he bumped his head on the frame,'**_ she explained smiling slightly at Spock.

_'**I take it that he is physically fine but does not wish to be reminded of his mistake?'**_ Spock asked letting his amusement at McCoy's attitude through their bond.

_'**Of course,'** _Uhura replied. **'He's worried enough about what's going to happen today so I wasn't trying to upset him by bringing up his over reacting.'**

_'**His concerns are understandable, K'diwa,'** _Spock reminded her gently as his own concerns flashed through his mind and the bond to Uhura. _**'You know Jim will have enough trouble restraining himself. It might be best if you were to assist Winona in keeping the Captain's mouth shut, before the Doctor shuts it for him.' **_

_'**You're right about Jim, Spock. I was only asking because I was concerned. Though it was funny,'**_ Uhura agreed giving Spock another smile.

"Ok, you too what are you talking about over there?" Jim asked, looking back a forth between Spock and Uhura. Jim had been watching avidly as they carried on some kind of silent conversation.

"Nyota was informing me of the events that I missed this morning, Captain," Spock replied with the Vulcan equivalent of a smirk sending a brief glance at McCoy who rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance.

"She did not wish to further your discomfort by explaining it again and employed one aspect of our bond to relay this morning's events," Spock explained watching McCoy's expression go from mildly annoyed to puzzled and curious as Sulu and Chekov sleepily walked in and made a bee line for the coffee pot.

"And that aspect would be?" McCoy asked intrigued in spite of his worries about the trial.

"You are already aware that we can tell the others emotional state. Touch, coupled with our current bond, allows us to converse in a way similar to a meld though less formal in nature. To converse this way will most likely require physical contact even after we complete our bond, though that remains to be determined," Spock explained, effectively distracting McCoy as Martin and Carrannelli entered followed by Christine, Scotty and Rhymer.

"You can talk to each other like you did me, Mr. Spock?" Joanna asked softly. "But you didn't touch her face."

"Physical contact is not always needed to perform a meld, Joanna. Touch is used to amplify the connection, and to assist in retaining the perspective of the one performing it," Spock explained simply.

"Though we are touching," Uhura added shifting so the Joanna could see their clasped hands making the girl truly smile again.

"So what are you talking about?" Sulu asked as the rest joined them at the table.

"And vhat is zhe plan for breakfast?" Chekov added as his stomach growled causing a wave of snickers around the table and making him blush.

"It'll have to be something fairly quick, Winona. We need to leave here by 0800 and it's 0700 now," Pike reminded her as she started to reply.

"I know that, Chris, calm down," Winona replied standing up. "I was going to suggest French toast again if no one has any objections?"

"Sounds good, Mom," Jim said standing up and heading for the fridge. "I'll get the eggs."

"Ok, Jim, grab the bacon too, please. Let's get this show on the road. The sooner we get done the quicker we can get going and not have a worry wart Admiral breathing down our necks," Winona remarked shooting Pike a knowing look as she took the eggs and started cracking them into a large, shallow dish.

"What are you talking about, Winona?" Pike asked sitting back in his chair.

"First year Federation History 101 final exam, Commander Baylis' class?" she prompted sighing at his still blank look. "You woke me up at 0530 for a class that didn't start till 0900 all because you were panicked that we'd be one second late,"* she reminded him and had the pleasure of watching a slight flush cross his face.

"I'd forgotten about that. Definitely not one of my brighter moves, huh?" Pike admitted sheepishly as the others chuckled; it wasn't every day that you saw a Starfleet Admiral embarrassed over an incident that happened over thirty years earlier.

"Definitely not, Chris. The only good thing was that we ran into George on the way and he gave me that apple or I would probably have killed you for making me miss breakfast," Winona reminded him, smiling at the memory, as she finished mixing the batter.

Once everyone was finished cleaning up, Martin placed a dry erase sheet on the table to go over the finalized security formation they'd be using in case they ran into the media or other trouble. Pike wasn't thrilled that he was stuck in the center of the group because of his wheel chair. At least Martin had agreed to allow him what Giotto called a 'stunner', a phaser that was permanently set on a low stun, and was one of his old friend's favorite weapons for melee sims. According to Martin's plan, they'd be forming a basic bull's eye defense if they had any trouble, with Pike and Joanna at the center. As soon as everyone had looked the diagram over for their positions, they hurried upstairs to get dressed for the hearing.

Joanna quietly slipped her hand into her dad's as they reached the top of the stairs; she was scared of going to court since the last time she was there she'd essentially lost her dad. McCoy gently squeezed her hand and smiled at her as they stopped just inside the door to their room. He was remembering what happened five years ago too, but this time he knew would be different.

"Shh, Jo, everythin' will be fine, Darlin'," McCoy murmured letting her burrow into his chest as he nudged the door shut with his foot. "I'm not gonna let you go back, neither's anyone else." He tightened his arms around her as he felt her breath hitch and her arms tighten around his waist.

"I know, Daddy. But I can't stop r'memberin' the last time," Joanna replied, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Jo, I need ya to calm down for me. No matter what happens this week, remember it's not just me fightin' this this time. I know Rhymer's got a few tricks up his sleeve to even things up," Bones said softly gently tipping Joanna's face up so she was looking at him. "Spock said he'd teach you a meditation trick that his Mama used to use, before we left. That should help you if you need it. And all you have to do is ask and you can leave the court room for a while, alright?" he reminded her watching her expression shift from fear to curiosity at Spock's offer.

"Ok, Daddy. I love you," she almost whispered hugging him again before bouncing onto her toes to kiss him.

"I love you too, Darlin'," McCoy murmured returning her hug and placing an extra kiss on her forehead. "Better hurry and get your dress and head over so the ladies can make sure you're put together right," he reminded her as he reached in the closet for his dress uniform, giving it a sour look as he laid it carefully on his bed.

"I'll see you in a bit, Daddy," Joanna said as she paused in the doorway.

"I'll be waitin' at t he foot of the stairs for ya," her Dad assured her as she smiled and closed the door behind her.

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><p>Jim finished getting his dress shirt to tuck smoothly into his trousers and turned to pick up his jacket when he noticed that his PADD was blinking that he had a new message. Curious, he picked it up, and was surprised to find that it was from Scotty. Not sure if he should be worried or not, he opened it hoping that it wasn't one of Scotty's slightly crazy schemes to up the power to one of the ships systems; those tended to not end well at least a third of the time, according to Spock's calculations. What he found when the message opened however was in a way more surprising. He slowly sat on the edge of his bed, a bemused smile on his face as he read through the separate messages from the others. All were belated 'thank you's for his various anonymous gifts. The one that made him chuckle though was Cupcake's. Evidently his mom had found the gloves Jim had made him when she was helping Martin pack after leave, and almost refused to let him pack them because they were so well made and she didn't want him to chance ruining them on a mission. Still chuckling at the mental picture Jim quickly wrote and sent a reply to everyone and headed downstairs feeling a bit more optimistic that everything would work out.<p>

McCoy smiled slightly leaning against the living room doorway as he watched Spock calmly go through the meditation with Joanna one last time. His daughter was sitting on a chair in the living room and Spock was once again perched on one of the foot stools facing her. From what he could tell there were several similarities between what Spock was teaching her and the methods he'd been taught for helping a patient deal with panic attacks.

Filing that information away for later he couldn't help but be thankful for the ladies' help that morning with Joanna's hair. Someone, he figured Uhura, had done a reverse French braid in her hair, and he recognized the small pearl studs she was wearing as a pair Christine often wore in the Medbay. The dress Winona had bought her while they were in Riverside was a dark green sundress with a light weight, lighter green sweater over it and McCoy was surprised at how much it made Joanna look like a young lady all of a sudden. Jim clapping a hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts abruptly.

"She sure looks like you, Bones," Jim remarked quietly watching as she and Spock both stood, walking towards the rest of them.

"Thanks, Jim," Bones replied dryly letting Jim see his eye roll at the obviousness of his comment.

Jim smirked at him a moment before turning serious, "Are you ready?"

"No but I'll be fine once things get goin'," Bones replied with a sigh. "You should know that by now, Kid," he added as Joanna joined them. "Looked like you were doin' pretty good, Jo."

"Thanks, Daddy. Mr. Spock said I was a quick learner," Joanna answered quietly, as McCoy wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting her snuggle into his side.

"Ok, people, let's get moving," Pike announced walking out of the library and scowling at his wheelchair before grumpily dropping into it.

"Hold on, Chris," Winona said as he started to roll towards the door. "We need to get these coats in the rack or you'll all be out of uniform when we get there," she reminded him with a chuckle at the dirty look he shot her as she finished zipping up the garment bag hanging on the library door.

"I got that, Mom," Jim told her, crossing the foyer to lift the bag down from the door and fold it in half.

"Thanks, Jim," Winona replied taking it from him and slipping it carefully into the carrier on the back of Pike's chair. "Now we're ready to go, Chris," she announced, mimicking his tone and making the others chuckle as they followed her and Pike out the door.

Lewis followed them as far as the porch calling "good bye" as they climbed in the van and left. Then he headed back in the house, locking the door behind him as he headed to the security room to keep an eye on things until the others got back.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Yes FINALLY the next chapter! I'm SO sorry about the wait. First it was complete writer's block, then a 3000+ mile move and the rest of my RL going crazy. I think I've erased more on this chapter than the whole rest of the story. Hopefully the next one will be out before the end of the month, I make no promises but I'm hoping; I just have to get a couple characters to stand still. ;)

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><p>Chapter 21<p>

The ride to the courthouse was tense, no one wanted to be the one that might accidently break Joanna's current calm and start her worrying about the what if's that the trial presented. Carrannelli was driving with Pike beside him navigating them through the downtown Atlanta traffic.

"Sir, can I ask you a question?" Mark asked softly as they passed a construction site.

"I think you already did, Lieutenant, but go ahead," Pike replied with a slight smile.

"Sorry. I wanted to ask what you thought the chances of something happening during the trial were," Mark replied looking slightly sheepish at his slip.

"I think that will depend on how vindictive his ex is and how much she has her lawyer wrapped around her finger where the facts are concerned," Pike said looking at the young Security Officer behind the wheel. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't like surprises that much anyway but in an enclosed area like a courtroom, Martin and I would rather be ready for anything even if it would only happen if the Klingons gave up fighting and took up karaoke, to solve their disputes," he finished looking slightly sheepish.

"I think if there's going to be any serious trouble it'll be from the media," Pike replied thoughtfully. "Though I wouldn't take my eyes too far off Darnell either for that matter; his daughter might try a few last ditch swipes at McCoy but I can't see her trying anything physical. If it comes to that I think Darnell's target would be McCoy rather than Joanna, and from what we read about him in the files he wouldn't stand much of a chance against the good doctor."

"That's true, Sir," Mark agreed with a slightly embarrassed snicker, remembering going up against the doctor during a combat drill a few months earlier, after a mishap on an away mission, Rich was still teasing him about the fact that the CMO had just about beaten him, he hadn't realized that McCoy was such a good or dirty fighter before.

A muffled snicker from the first row of seats had Pike looking back to see Jim smirking at something. Pike simply raised an inquiring eyebrow at the young Captain knowing Jim would spill what was so amusing.

"I remember that, Carrannelli, surprised me a bit too," Jim said quietly with a grin. "It was after that mess on Barengas, Sir, the Chief was fit to be tied at what happened and put all of us that were there through more drills than Academy Basic as a lesson in being prepared for anything. Carrannelli had the bad luck to be picked to spar against Bones, who was livid at getting pulled out of the Medbay when he still had patients in serious condition. I think if the match hadn't been called, Bones might have won, I know he surprised Giotto with the amount of dirty moves he pulled, which is probably why the Chief stopped it when he did."

"I still can't believe how close he was to actually making me give up the match anyway," Mark replied sheepishly.

"Don't be, I taught him a lot of what he used on you over the last few years. Plus you heard what Giotto said afterwards, 'that anger or fear can give a person the extra bit they need to win a fight, if they use it correctly'. I'm pretty sure the Chief won't underestimate Bones again no matter what his 'official' combat scores are," Jim reminded him with a chuckle as they pulled into the underground parking structure that had been added under the block facing the old twentieth century courthouse. The building was now kept more as a museum to the legal history of the city and the state than a working courthouse because the structure's age and that the cost of upgrading the technology in such an old building was prohibitive. The two modernized courtrooms were used as an alternate venue for overflow cases or sensitive ones, such as McCoy's.

The echoing parking deck was for the most part deserted this early; the only people in sight were headed for the access tunnels to the Atlanta Underground on the left side of the block sized parking area.

"I think we got here unseen but we need to be sure," Martin commented as they paused in front of the doors for the lifts and stairs to street level. "Mr. Scott, if you would, head up and see if there are any reporters waiting across the street," he requested quietly. Scotty nodded and headed up the stairs. "Alright, Captain, you Sulu, Uhura, Rhymer, Chekov, and Chapel are with me in the first elevator, Admiral, you Mark and the rest are on the second car," Martin explained as the stairway door shut behind the Chief Engineer. A minute later his communicator chirped and Scotty called the all clear.

As they stepped into the second lift, Joanna closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on what Mr. Spock had showed her at the house. The doors opening broke her concentration before she could settle into the rhythm of the exercise, and she tightened her grip on her father's hand as they stepped out and joined the rest of the group. As they hurried across the street, everyone somehow missed the couple watching them intently from the far side of Mitchell St.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the courthouse doors closed behind them and they were met by Mr. Burger and Captain Logan in the center of the lobby. "Good morning, everyone," Mr. Burger greeted them. "We have roughly fifteen minutes until court convenes, that'll give us enough time to get you back into uniform."  
>"If you'll follow me the restrooms are this way," Captain Logan said with a smile as Jim quickly pulled the garment bag from the carrier on Pike's wheelchair leading them towards a hallway on the far side of the lobby.<p>

"Is there somewhere I can hang this without causing problems?" Jim asked catching up with Captain Logan.

"You should be able to use the light fixture between the doors," Logan replied with a smile. "I'm sure you won't be the first to use it for that or the last."

Pike chuckled as he watched Jim carefully hang the bag on the old brass light. "That's good Jim, we need to get movin'," McCoy groused as his friend fussed with the way the bag was hanging.

"I know, Bones, but I really don't want to get a bill from the city of Atlanta because we accidently damaged a historic building," Jim replied, unzipping the bag and stepping back so that the others could get at their uniforms.

"I think the City would be understanding in this case, Captain," Burger added as Uhura and Christine pulled their uniforms out of the bag and stepped into the restroom, and Carrannelli quietly slipped away from the group to check out the courtroom.

"We'll be right back," Uhura assured them as the door swung shut behind them.

"Come over here with me, Joanna," Winona said softly guiding them both out of the way of the guys as they retrieved their uniform coats. "Once they're put together then it'll be our job to pull final inspection on them and make sure they look good."

"W-what do you mean Nana?" Joanna asked nervously as she grabbed the older woman's hand.

"I mean that since we're the only ones that don't have to do anything to be ready," Winona explained. "It's our job to make sure their uniforms are straight and that no one looks like they just rolled out of bed and forgot to brush their hair or some other silly mistake," she finished getting a small smile from Joanna.

"We're not that bad at getting ready, Winona," Pike retorted, chuckling at the dubious look she shot him. "Ok, Winona, I do remember that, but I think the Saurian brandy the night before had something to do with it." Winona simply rolled eyes and sighed making Pike break into a full laugh.

As soon as he heard his mom say inspection, Jim had to look away to hide his grin at her description. When he looked up he caught the puzzled look in Spock's face.

"It's mean to be a distraction for Joanna, Spock," he murmured. "Mom used it with me before the trial when she divorced the idiot she married when I was a kid; though I was more mad than scared," he explained to his friend.

"I understand, Captain. I take it that it produced a similar result?" Spock inquired as he finished fastening the neck of his jacket.

"Not really, but it kept me from planning how to jump the bastard as soon as they brought him in," Jim replied ruefully as they lined up.

Logan half hid a smile as she and Burger watched the 'inspection'. There was no doubt in her mind that the officers were taking advantage of it to do their best to make Joanna smile with either comments or silly little mistakes to their uniforms. What warmed her heart the most was the fact that Joanna easily interacted with each of them before moving on down the line. She'd seen many abuse victims that shied away from contact for months or years in her time on the force, but the exceptions still brought her hope that the horrors could be put behind and the victims could move on.

As he watched the others doing their best to lift Joanna's spirits, Spock wondered what he could possibly do when it was his turn. As the Captain had said turning her attention towards the rest of them was an excellent distraction, but he knew his own limitations when it came to offering comfort to humans, no matter what Nyota said to the contrary. For some reason the memory of his mother's actions whenever she'd felt that he'd needed emotional reinforcement where her normal method of embracing him would not be appropriate kept surfacing in his mind. As Joanna reached him he gently placed his hands so that he was cupping her shoulders with his thumbs on her collar bones, the same way his mother had him as a child. "You are safe Joanna. No matter how illogical or painful the proceedings may become remember we will be standing with you," he told her softly before releasing her; he wasn't prepared for Joanna to wrap her arms around his waist.

"I'll try Mr. Spock," she replied softly with a small smile as she released him.

Uhura and Christine were just leaving the bathroom when she felt the faint echo of Spock's surprise through their bond. She was just in time to see Joanna smile as she stepped back and figured out that she'd hugged Spock again. The expression on his face combined with the echoes of his emotions made her bite back a laugh though she couldn't hide her smile or the humor she knew her fiancé must be feeling from her as she watched Joanna continue down the line to Kirk.

Jim found himself relaxing as he watched Bones and Joanna relax as the 'inspection' finished. He was making a mental note to do something nice for his mom tonight and again when the trial was over for coming up with the idea when all hell broke loose.


End file.
